Repairing the Past, Building a Future
by daisyscrapper
Summary: Sheppard protects Keller from a group attempting to kidnap her, both discovering growing feelings of attraction. He also works on his relationship with his brother Dave. Set on Earth. Pairings all pre-ship : Jen/John, Carolyn Lam/Mitchell, Dave/OC
1. Chapter 1

_Thanks for reading. John and Jen are a favorite pairing of mine. I included Dave, as well as Carolyn/Cam in this story as well. Hope you all enjoy it as much as I did while writing it. _

_A special thanks to Bailey1ak for all of her help with editing and the rest of the writing process. You helped in so many ways, especially when the ideas were not flowing well! I really appreciate it!_

_I'll be posting each chapter daily. The story is almost finished, but I need some extra motivation in completing the last few chapters. In all, there should be about 11 or 12 chapters._

* * *

"Ready?" Lt. Colonel John Sheppard looked over at Atlantis' Chief Medical Officer.

Jennifer Keller, armed with a few binders and overnight bag, nodded.

John turned and waved at Rodney to dial Earth. He walked back over to stand next to Jennifer, who was looking a little nervous.

"What's up? Why the worried look?" he asked.

She shrugged, "I hate leaving Atlantis. We only have one other surgeon on hand. Not only that, but Rodney and I've been working on a new technology that-"

John held up a hand. "Relax, Keller. You'll be back in less than 24 hours."

Shrugging sheepishly, Jennifer laughed. As the gate activated, she just sent him a look. "Right. Like anything ever goes according to plan. You of all people should know that, Colonel."

Unable to deny it, Sheppard just shook his head. "Everything will be fine, Keller. Wait and see." With that, they walked through the gate.

* * *

"Sheppard," Colonel Cameron Mitchell greeted them. "Welcome back. Dr. Keller, it's nice to have you back again as well."

Jennifer smiled at the Colonel. "Well, it'll be a short visit from what I've been told. Just the standard reports the IOA prefers the head of military and medical to give in person."

Sheppard smirked. "And you know how I enjoy these meetings, Mitchell." John looked around, seeing not much had changed since he'd last visited. Watching Keller fumble a bit with her load of stuff she had brought, he moved over and took the bulk from her.

"Yeah. About that..." Mitchell beckoned with his head. He led them to a private conference room. "We have a problem. That's why I'm here to meet you guys."

John just sighed. Sitting down next to the SG-1 leader, he looked upward. He didn't even glance at Jennifer, who, he was sure, was a moment away from saying the dreaded "I told you so."

"And why does that not surprise me?" John turned to Jennifer. "No rubbing it in just yet, Keller. I'm sure it's nothing big."

Mitchell gave a half laugh. "You both don't seem surprised that something is wrong? Anyway, earlier today, we got a coded communication by phone. It's untraceable. But the threat in the message was clear. Someone got a hold of some Wraith DNA on Earth, which puts a hitch on your visit to Earth. Caldwell's standing by. He's going to beam us up to the _Daedalus_ any second."

Jennifer looked at Mitchell, shocked. When he didn't go on, she looked at John. "How could that've happened?" Instead of looking worried about the classified information getting leaked, John immediately sent a worried glance toward her. She could tell he was more anxious about something else. "What?"

"Let me take a guess, Mitchell. They don't know what to do with it," John grated his teeth. "Someone called in with a threat concerning Keller, I presume, since I don't know the first thing about the stuff."

Just as he finished his sentence, they were transported to the ship.

Nodding as if nothing had happened, Mitchell led them to a vacant room in the ship. "Right on the first guess. In short, if we don't hand them over Dr. Keller immediately, the group plans on going public with their findings. Of course, we already have at team of people ready to put out that fire when and if it sees the light of day. Dr. Keller, while you're on Earth, you'll be strictly monitored and required to stay on base." He turned to Sheppard, giving him an odd look. "There's more, of course. I'm a little concerned about who to trust around here. That's why I asked Landry if we could brief you up here before following the IOA orders and tuck her away on base. The thing is... I'm not exactly sure how safe either of you will be at the SGC. And I don't think this group will be satisfied with a simple 'no' to their request."

"Which is why she's not going back to the SGC," John announced. When Mitchell looked at him with an almost expectant look, he realized the other Colonel had already guessed John wouldn't go for the idea. "There are too many people who could be mixed in with this. Thanks for heading us off... someone could easily be working out of Cheyenne Mountain."

"So where do I send you? That's the million dollar question, Sheppard."

"I have a few places we can stay," John supplied. "Are we close enough to Earth yet to get a signal? Get me a satellite phone so I can give someone a call."

Nodding, Mitchell gave the orders to a Marine for a phone. "You sure the place won't be traced to Dr. Keller?"

John shook his head. "Negative. She'll be safe there. Just make sure this call is untraceable and act like we're proceeding according to plan." He looked over at Jennifer. "Keller, why don't you head to the _Daedalus' _infirmary and get your physical out of the way? It'll be a distraction, as if we're prepping to be beamed down to the SGC as planned. Mitchell," he lowered his voice. "Is Jackson up here?"

Mitchell nodded, seeing where Sheppard was going with his line of thinking. "Doc, wait up." He radioed Daniel. "Danny boy, get up to the control room. I need you to escort a VIP to the infirmary."

Daniel arrived in minutes, reintroducing himself to Jennifer since they'd met before. Cameron had already spoken with Daniel about their situation and he arrived armed. Sighing, she turned and made her way down the hallway. "No matter what the galaxy, nothing changes. Why can't the bad guys just leave me alone?"

Chuckling, Daniel draped his arm around her shoulders and began telling her stories of his mishaps with SG1. John watched them silently as they left the room.

"Relax, John," Mitchell murmured. "Your doctor is safe with him."

John just looked back at him. _Funny_, John thought. The comment was just personal enough to make him wonder what Mitchell may or may not be implying. He pushed the thought aside and didn't comment.

When he finally received the phone, he had to think for a moment before dialing. Numbers had a way of sticking in his mind. Last time he was on Earth at his father's funeral, his brother gave him a direct cell phone line to call him on for the next time John was back on leave. The two brothers had smoothed over some misunderstandings, but had yet to be back to the closely bonded brothers they'd been as children.

It only took two rings for his brother Dave to pick up.

"Dave Sheppard," he answered confidently but not lacking warmth in his tone. John found himself wanting to smile. It was good to hear his older brother's voice.

"Hey. It's John." He felt uncomfortable knowing that not only Mitchell was listening in on the conversation but could also hear how awkward he still was with his brother. There was a long stretch of silence. And for a fleeting moment, he thought his brother had a change of heart and had hung up on him.

"John?" Dave asked. "Wow." John could hear shuffling papers and muted conversation going around his brother. "Let me step away from this meeting." A few moments later, John heard a door softly shut. "Okay, now I can hear you better. I'm a bit surprised. I thought I wouldn't hear from you in person for at least another year."

"Yeah. Well, something came up." Knowing Mitchell needed an answer soon, he held a finger up, silently communicating to Cameron he needed a minute. "How's it going?"

Dave must've been surprised. "Good, John. I'm doing well. The company handled itself well during this turn in the economy. Dad would be proud."

It was always about the company, thought John. Well, he couldn't blame his brother. It used to grate on his nerves, but somehow he found himself understanding now. John fully admitted his life revolved around the safety of the people in Atlantis. He knew his brother would be surprised at the comparison had he the security clearance to know John's work.

Cameron signaled to him. Nodding, he turned his back. "Look, Dave. I don't have a lot of time on this line. I hate to ask you for a favor, but I need a place to stay for a few days. Maybe a week."

"Stay with me," his brother immediately suggested. "I'll fix it so I can take off a few days."

John's jaw about hit the floor. Did Dave just offer to push aside work just for the chance to see him?

"I can't tell you how much I'd like that. But Dave... God, I know you hate when I do this, but hear me out. There's a friend of mine that I need to keep out of sight for a few days." Silence greeted him on the other end. "Dave." He knew his brother had shut down. "I'm sorry. Maybe there'll be time before I have to go back and we can do that afterward."

"No problem," Dave recovered, but the warmth had left his tone considerably. "Will the vacation house in Maine work?"

He hadn't thought of that. "Actually, it would. I almost forgot about that."

"If you give me a few hours, I can have it stocked and ready for you," Dave said. "Just let me make a few calls."

John closed his eyes and sighed. "Dave, I owe you one. And I'm sorry. For calling just because I need something."

"Not a problem, little brother. We said we'd work on understanding each other. I'm just holding up my end of the promise," Dave said. John could hear the underlying implication that even though Dave was trying, he was not.

"And I promise you... when this is over, I'll pull every string and see if I can stay a few days. Keep a guest room ready for me."

His brother laughed. "Alright, John. I will. Is there anything you'll need at the place besides the basics?"

Shoot. Glad his brother had mentioned it, he told him to hold on. They'd need clothes and a few other necessities since they had returned to Earth with only the clothes on their back and another change for tomorrow. Obtaining these items through the normal channel could warrant unnecessary attention, which he wanted to avoid. He asked Mitchell to radio Daniel and put Jennifer on.

"Keller here."

"I'm working on getting us some things to wear before we head out. We may be here longer than we planned. Give me your sizes." John waited for her response.

"Seriously? You're asking me... a woman... to broadcast my size to you and half this-"

Realizing his brother could hear, he stopped her. "Keller, just tell me. I have my brother on the phone right now and he can hear."

"Oh? Really? I didn't know you had a brother."

He instantly regretted radioing her while Dave could hear. Although he wasn't as close to Jennifer as he was to Ronon, it was still embarrassing that having a brother never came up in their conversations. It made him ashamed of how estranged his family was despite the numerous relationships he had on Atlantis. Only Ronon knew about the tension between him and his brother, although they'd both agreed to work on repairing their relationship since their father's funeral.

Giving him the information, she ended the transmission.

"Dave, did you hear that?" John asked. "Sorry, there's not a hold function on this satellite phone I'm on."

"Yeah, I wrote it down." His brother paused, his voice telling John he'd heard everything. "You didn't tell me your friend was a woman."

"Yeah, she is," he said, then realizing where his brother was going with that. "But it's not like that. We work together."

"Wouldn't have thought that. Since Nancy, you seem to avoid the opposite sex in that regard when you can," Dave paused. "Listen, does she need any other stuff? Undergarment stuff...I'd need those sizes, too."

John sat down and covered his face with his hand. He heard Cameron snicker and didn't realize his brother's voice was carrying over to him. "Just guess. She'll kill me if I ask." He paused. "Wait, I think I can get a hold of it." He covered the phone, sending Cameron a glare. "Mitchell, make yourself useful and bring up Keller's file."

Cameron obeyed but didn't wipe the smile off his face. "I'm guessing you want her measurements the SGC took on her for her uniforms?"

"Exactly. Read them off to me."

Saying them loud enough for Dave to hear, they confirmed he got the information.

"Okay, thanks man. I'll need things too. You know my sizes. And if you can put it on your card, I'd appreciate it. Just wire the funds from my account to yours afterward." The last time John had been on Earth, he'd had his brother authorized to manage his account and inheritance. Dave had all of his credit cards and banking access.

His brother paused. "John... are you in trouble?"

"No," John immediately replied. "But my friend may be. Just take the extra precautions to be on the safe side, bro. And thanks. For everything."

Ending the phone call, John looked to Cameron. "Well, that wasn't as awkward as the last conversation we had. Anyway, my brother will overnight stuff for us to the house."

Cameron only raised an eye. "Never thought you'd be one with family problems. So, a vacation house in New England? Just the two of you. Sounds like you may be getting a romantic little vacation out of this if I'm hearing things correctly."

"Yes, with my CMO who has been threatened even before arriving back on Earth," Sheppard glared at Mitchell when he continued to grin. "Just what are you implying, Colonel?"

Mitchell just shrugged. "Don't blame me. I'm just repeating the rumor that's been coming back to the SGC through a few of your people."

Leaning forward, John narrowed his eyes. "Rumors? What rumors?"

Taking the opportunity to make his exit, Cameron just grinned. "Oh, just about you being a little more overprotective of Atlantis' CMO lately." As he walked out, Cameron continued talking over his shoulder. "And there's the one about not taking your eyes of her. Or the last one that said you've been personally escorting any injured man during training to the CMO directly for medical attention."

John just stared at his retreating back. He swore, exiting down the other corridor and toward the infirmary— and Jennifer. No one was supposed to notice all of that. He thought he'd been careful. Pretending to just be friendly with Dr. Keller didn't seem to be fooling anyone. But he had to focus on the more immediate problem at hand— keeping her safe.


	2. Chapter 2

_Thanks for the reviews! My traffic stats have been down for over a week, so I wasn't sure if anyone had read the story until I started getting reviews. Makes me less nervous :) Thanks for the encouraging words on chapter one. And for the brave souls who normally don't read the Sheppard/Keller pairing.  
_

_A special thanks to Bailey1ak for all of her help with editing and the rest of the writing process._

_

* * *

_

Dave Sheppard hung up the phone and stared out his window. John's phone call had surprised him. Plans began to form in his head.

He walked over to his desk. "Ms. Howard, would you mind taking a break and helping me with a few items in my office?"

"Yes, sir," his administrative assistant replied. A few minutes later, she walked in and shut the door. Kylie Howard was a few years younger than Dave. She'd proved to be a hard and loyal worker in the company. Dave was surprised when she'd called him out of the blue five years back. At first, he'd figured she wanted to get in contact with John. The pair had briefly dated before John's marriage to Nancy. But in reality, she was unhappy at her former employment and asked him for an interview. Their families had vacationed together in the Hamptons when they were kids. He didn't hesitate and hired her on the spot. Within two years, she'd impressed him so much that he'd made her his own assistant.

Even though they knew each other well outside of the office, they always stuck with formalities unless they were alone. Dave gestured for her to sit at his computer and chose to sit across from her at the chairs set out in front of the desk.

"Well, this is a change," Kylie grinned. "I'm in the boss's seat and you're sitting there looking like a client. I hope there's a raise involved in this scenario."

He chuckled. Kylie had a knack for making him relax during the work day with her humor. "This may be the oddest task I've asked you to do. But I need a woman who'll do it and can keep it private. I left a few sizes on the notepad. Can you go on Grayson's & Company's website and pick a few things out for a woman? Mostly casual, warm weather stuff."

Eyebrows raised, she glanced at him. "You want me to shop? For a woman?"

Immediately understanding what she was thinking, Dave shifted his balance. "It's not like that. I haven't even met her."

Laughing, Kylie turned to the computer and powered up a search engine. "Not sounding any better, Dave."

"Cute, Kylie," he grinned. No matter how hard he tried, the woman had an unnerving affect on him. He felt himself relaxing in her presence, and lately... not wanting to leave her side. "No, it's a friend of someone I know. And it's a long story. She sounds about our age, so just get her a few things that'll get her through at least a week. She has nothing, from what I've been told, so try and think of everything. Call the order in and have them deliver it to my house."

Surprised, she looked at him. "Will they do that?"

He just sent her a look. "Please. I can tell you offhand how many times we've come to their aide in the last few months in the middle of the night with some type of catastrophe. Ask to speak with Phillip if they give you a hassle. And tell them I want it all within the next three hours. I'll leave my credit card with you. Just lock it up with my stuff afterward." He glanced at his watch. "I have that meeting downtown in an hour and then need to pick up a few things for someone."

Remembering the extra hours Dave had spent on this company, she nodded in agreement. "Alright. Not a problem," she glanced across to him. "Actually, this will be fun. Shopping with someone else's money is always a favorite chore of mine. Especially when it's yours."

He threw on his suit coat and grabbed the files she'd left earlier on his desk. "Not mine, actually. It's Jo-" He stopped. Remembering John wanted to keep a low profile, he glanced up at her.

She'd half listened to him while she efficiently began thumbing through the website. Turning again, she sighed. "Dave, why do I have a feeling you think I still carry a torch for your brother?" Kylie questioned him. "We went on two dates. And mostly because of the pressure we felt from both our fathers. There was nothing there."

Dave stopped and looked back at her. She was wrong about why he'd tried to keep John out of the explanation, but if he was honest with himself, he'd wondered if she did still think of his brother in that way. "Sorry. I just thought-"

"For someone so good at running this company, you sure stink on the personal front. Especially when it comes to women." Kylie leveled a gaze at him. For a moment, he felt that she was hinting her own feelings toward him. That was impossible. She'd never indicated once, inside or out of the office, feeling more than just friends toward him.

"Well, I'm lucky to have you then, huh?" He stood in front of his desk, looking down at her with some confusion. "To help me on that front." Turning to leave, he mumbled a goodbye.

"That's the thing," Kylie muttered under her breath when he left. "You don't. But you could." She sighed. Pushing away unhappy thoughts, she transferred her annoyance and made sure John's friend would be hooked up with some nice, high-end fashion.

Kylie jumped when he re-entered the office. Praying he hadn't heard the last bit, she looked up expectantly at him. "Do me one more favor. Call over to the airport and have my plane ready. I'm going to fly out in the morning. And clear my schedule for the next few days."

Nodding, she watched him turn and leave. Thinking to herself, she realized that John must be home. Dave wouldn't clear his schedule for any other reason. Hoping the two would find a way to reform the bond they'd had when they were kids, she went back to her work.

* * *

Jennifer hopped down from the bed and straightened her clothing. Shaking her head, she tried to act as normal as possible. The nurse, upon seeing Jennifer was presentable, pulled the screen away. Jen wasn't surprised to see Daniel and Sheppard on the other side.

"Passed with flying colors," she said, casually. "How about you, Colonel?"

He shrugged. "The same. Looks like you'll be stuck with me during the meetings."

They moved out of the infirmary. They'd only been on board for a few hours, but so far, nothing seemed out of the ordinary. Irregardless, John made it a point to stick close to her. She casually took his arm with her hand, acting as if they were this friendly all of the time.

"What's the plan?" Jennifer asked in a low voice, looking up at him. She was surprised she didn't find herself nervous, especially since she was with him. She chalked it up to other times Sheppard or someone from his team had come to her rescue. Not to mention she felt a little more confident now that she was able to physically defend herself more than before, thanks to Teyla and Ronon's teaching.

His arm felt stiff. Either he was trying to stay on guard or else he didn't expect her to make a move like that. Either way, she didn't let go. Feeling him closer to her made her feel safer.

"Just follow us. Caldwell's in on this, too. He's sending us down now," John murmured into her ear.

Nodding to let him know she had heard, Jennifer kept up with their pace. When they reached the control room, Cameron met them and gestured over to him.

"He's able to send you directly into the house," Cameron murmured. "I'll be in touch. Sheppard, you got my secure line if anything comes up."

They both nodded at Caldwell, who was sitting in the corner. He pushed a command on the counsel that beamed them instantly back down to Earth.

* * *

One minute, Jennifer was pressed against John's side on the _Daedalus_. Next thing she knew, they were transported into a home unlike she'd ever seen before.

"Yeah, that never gets old," John said. "Well, home sweet home. For the next few days, at least. Make yourself comfortable."

She sat in the nearest chair. "Jen? You okay?" John walked up next to her, concerned.

Nodding, she looked up at him, realizing he was calling her by her first name. Something he rarely did. "I'm fine. I get a little light headed sometimes." Looking around for the first time, she did a double take. "Where are we?"

"A house that belongs to my family," he responded. "I arranged for it to be to stocked for at least a week. Our family has a good business with the local grocer and they can get things together in a hurry. My brother promised to overnight us some clothes and stuff in the morning." Realizing he was rambling, John turned and began checking out the house. It wasn't as if someone would be waiting for them here, but it was something to do. All of a sudden, the realization that he'd be here, alone with her for however many days, sank into his mind.

"Clothes? A week?" Jennifer said, standing. "So much for just being gone for 24 hours. Just because some idiots want me to explain stolen Wraith DNA to them? You know," she complained.

He smirked. "Must I recount your previous mishaps when the bad guys get a hold of you?" When she didn't respond, he stopped. "Relax, I'm sure no one will trace you here. Still, I want to check around and make sure things are locked up tight. From what I remember, Dave always kept upgrading security, so we're lucky on that front. But then again..."

"I know, I know," Jennifer said. "The mission reports in my file must be entertaining for everyone to read by now. My bad luck, and all."

John smirked and then grew serious. "Will you be okay for a few minutes? Why don't you go pick out a room? It's getting late."

"Pick one out?" she replied. "How many are there?"

"Six, I think. Maybe seven," John thought. "Now that I think about it, pick one that adjoins to the next room. Just in case."

"Yet another great detail for that report," she muttered. "I'm never going to live this one down." Walking up the staircase he pointed out, Jennifer took in her surroundings again. Never before in her life had she been in such a luxurious setting. Money, however discretely it showed, was obvious in each room. As she peaked her head into room after room, each seemed even more incredible than the last.

The one she fell in love with had a canopy over the bed. The room was decorated in a creamy ivory, with roses appearing in various places throughout the decor. Dropping her bag, she looked and found a door leading to the next room.

"My mother always invited our extended family here," John said, surprising her. "This was actually her favorite room. My mom's sister would always take this room. Her kids... who were absolute heathens, would take the room next door. By having adjoining doors, Aunt Melody was able to keep a closer eye on her kids."

She continued stepping through the room, touching or peering closer at something. "It's gorgeous. Growing up, I think this would have been my dream room. Especially the bed," she grinned. "I always wanted a bed with a canopy. Instead, I got summer school."

"Summer school?" John asked, sitting on the bed for a moment. "Not following you."

"Summer school allowed me to take elective courses so I could get through school faster," Jennifer explained. "Extra classes cost extra money. I come from a single-parent home."

"Ah," John said. "I know. I've read your file."

She lifted her head a bit. "Find anything interesting?"

"Hardly," he grinned. "So boring. I mean, it's not uncommon at all to graduate from high school three years ahead of schedule. Then practically sail through undergrad and get through medical school quicker than any other person on the planet."

"Anyway, how did we get into all of that?" She said, changing the topic. "If you don't mind. I think I'll crash here."

John noticed how she avoided talking about her childhood, especially when people began to realize how quickly she flew through school. He chalked it up to bad experiences of teasing from other kids and now the adults in her life about her intelligence. He could relate, somewhat. Being a mathematical genius, however understated, he had mostly hid the fact except for one time when he couldn't resist throwing it in Rodney's face.

Now aware that he was sitting on the bed she planned to sleep on, he stood up awkwardly. "Did you happen to pack sleeping stuff in your bag?" He'd noticed she was holding another small bag but not the same one he'd seen her leave Atlantis with.

"No. Of course not. It's in the other one I'd had brought. Back up there with Mitchell and Daniel. Got anything I can borrow?"

"Probably not," he said, but beckoned her to follow. "My stuff is still on the _Daedalus_. But my brother keeps a few things here. I'm sure there's something you can borrow."

They found a t-shirt for her to wear. An hour later, Jennifer was alone in the room. Well, except for the door adjoining their rooms, which John insisted on keeping cracked open. He also left her with a gun, as well. It sat on the nightstand next to the four poster, luxury bed.

She shook her head. What a turn of events... in all the different scenarios, this is something she never thought would possibly happen on a mission or during a routine trip to Earth. Her mishaps typically happened back home—on Atlantis.

Funny how it had become home to her in the past few years. She'd grown fond of the city and its inhabitants. They'd gradually become her family, in a way. And now that she learned a little more of John's story, it seemed some people back there were even closer to him than his own family.

She wondered about John. True, he was always friendly and pretty open about his feelings on Atlantis. But where most people would brag or at least mention their family back on Earth, he never spoke a word. She'd had just assumed he didn't have anyone- like her. Besides her father, of course.

Her father.

"John!" she called out, throwing on a robe she'd discovered in the bathroom and had set next to her bed. Jennifer quickly made her way to the adjoining door to the room. He must've stepped into the bathroom to change out of his uniform and into some clothes he found of his brother's. If she wouldn't have been so worried about her thoughts, she would've blushed when he came out worried, clothed only in a pair of flannel pants with a bare chest.

"What's wrong?" he asked alarmed.

"My father," she said, stepping into the room. "Will he be safe? Back in Wisconsin. I didn't think to ask you-"

He shook his head. "Cam and I already took care of it. His house is being monitored by two of Mitchell's men. Don't worry... that's what he and I were doing while you were in the infirmary. Trying to think of everything. He's safe. Lam's also being watched."

Sighing, Jen nodded. Now that her fears were relieved, she felt awkward standing in the same room with him when he was half-dressed. Not like she hadn't seen him without a shirt before. But this was different. _Yeah. Much different,_ she thought.

"Good," she said, hoping to sound somewhat normal. Try as she might, she couldn't stop looking at him. "Okay, I better go. And sleep."

John looked a little out of sorts himself. "Yeah. Night, Jen."

She practically ran back into her room. After climbing into bed, she turned off the light and laid there for a few minutes. Trying to think of anyone except the man sleeping twenty feet away from her, she finally willed herself to sleep.


	3. Chapter 3

_Thanks for the reviews!  
_

_A special thanks to Bailey1ak for all of her help with editing and the rest of the writing process._

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* * *

_

A nightmare woke her up around midnight. Sitting straight up in bed, she slowly remembered where she was. Jennifer looked over at the clock and sighed. Nothing, not even the incredible bed she at least slept in for an hour, would settle her down.

Nightmares were a part of the job hazard. In the dream, she was short-staffed in the infirmary with two teams coming in injured, several severely. Jennifer had to shake her head in amazement at herself. Some people had nightmares about killers; She had nightmares about fulfilling her role as CMO. Rubbing her eyes, she climbed out of bed. Jennifer dealt with them like any other obstacle that came her way... quiet time by herself with a nice cup of tea. She wondered if whoever stocked the kitchen had tucked any tea bags in with the groceries.

She debated whether or not to wake Sheppard. Tiptoeing over to the door, she heard the soft sounds of regular breathing, occasionally followed by a snore. Deciding against it, Jennifer shivered slightly against the cold air, grabbed the white robe she'd used the night before, and quietly made her way down the staircase. The robe was about two sizes too big, so as she walked, Jennifer rolled the sleeves up several times.

There were a few strategically placed soft lights. Knowing that John hadn't put them on the night before, she figured they were on timers. Once in the kitchen, she searched until finding two unopened boxes of tea. She chose one and prepped the tea pot.

Minutes later, after tracking down a mug, she sat down at the table. Sighing, she sat there until finishing her tea, looking around the slightly lit room. Jennifer could never imagine growing up surrounded by so much wealth. She'd never been a person who coveted money or possessions. Some of that was due to her upbringing and being satisfied with having her needs and not wants met. But the other part was due to a failed relationship in the past back in college. Since then, Jennifer really hadn't been impressed with those who came from money.

John seemed different. The money didn't define him. The rumors she'd heard about his family appeared to be true, but it still didn't match John's personality.

Finishing the last of her tea, she stood to put the mug into the sink. A slight movement by the doorway caused her to shriek, dropping the mug in the process. It shattered, just as John, clad in pajama pants t-shirt, and of course his gun drawn, entered the kitchen.

Seeing it was just her, and that she wasn't in any trouble, he just sighed. "Why didn't you wake me? I could've shot you."

Jennifer, now that her heart had returned to normal, just rolled her eyes. "You wouldn't have shot me," she joked. "There's too much paperwork involved in that." She looked around her bare feet. "I made a mess. Sorry."

"Don't move," he said, seeing the problem. He turned to grab a dust broom, slipped into a pair of beach shoes someone had left by the sun room, and swept the largest pieces away from her. Setting it down for a second, he hoisted her off her feet and set her gently onto the counter. The movement only lasted a few seconds, but was long enough for Jennifer to gulp after the feeling of having his hands on her waist. Before he turned to continue sweeping, she caught a look she'd never seen before cross his face. But as quickly as that look came, it vanished.

John looked up at her, sending a questioning glance. "Couldn't sleep?"

The too big sleeves on the robe came over her hands again. Rolling them up for the second time, she nodded. "Bad dream. Figured tea would help. I didn't think I'd wake you." She studied him as he finished cleaning the mess. John obviously came straight down from waking up. His hair, which normally was a mess during the day, was slightly more out of control than normal. Unable to resist a smile, Jen felt the tug of attraction pull at her again toward him.

"Are you laughing at me?" John sent her a reprimanding look but couldn't help grinning. "Here I am, up in the middle night to find you gone from bed... only to come down and interrupt tea time and almost getting yourself cut."

"Oh, please," she smiled, kicking her legs back and forth and leaning over to watch him finish. "If you hadn't scared me, I wouldn't be in this situation. It's just that your hair..."

"Hey, I happen to work hard at this look." He joked, then sent her a humorous look. He put away the broom just as she was about to hop down. Shaking his head, he blocked her from getting down. "There may still be a few pieces I missed." He slowly approached her, tucking his one arm under her legs and lifting her for the second time.

Her heart stumbled a bit as John just stood there for a second, holding her in his arms. Wrapping hers around his neck, they stared at each other.

"John?" she said softly. If she didn't know better, he seemed to be trying to decide on something. And just when she thought that there was hope that maybe he was feeling the same as her, John adjusted her slightly and turned to set her down back by the staircase.

She would've chalked it up to her imagination, but as he set her down, he slowly bent back up, keeping his hands around her waist for a moment more than necessary.

"Go up and get some sleep," he said, turning back to the kitchen. "I'll make sure the rest is cleaned up."

Jennifer wanted to protest, but lack of confidence led her trudging back up the stairs, looking back once at him as he finished sweeping the floor. When she made it back to bed, she cursed him for reversing the effects of the tea. Laying wide awake for the better part of an hour, she finally was able to shut off her brain and fell asleep.

* * *

John awoke the next morning to the quiet sounds of someone moving in the next room. He'd always been a light sleeper. Even on Atlantis, he'd hear the slightest of sounds coming from the hallway outside his quarters.

"You okay, Jen?" he called out as he got out of the bed.

There was a pause and then he heard the bathroom door open. "Sorry, did I wake you?" More sounds came from the room, as if she was opening a few drawers in the dresser.

"Barely heard you," he said sleepily. Truth was, he'd barely slept last night. The feeling of having her in his arms, pressed again him, lingered with him.

Jennifer laughed in the next room. "Liar." The pause told him she was embarrassed.

"What are you looking for in there? We already found the lost city of Atlantis."

"Ha ha. Okay, if you must know. I don't have clothes," she complained. "And I'm not walking around in my uniform all day. Especially if it's going to be warm. Or this t-shirt, for the obvious reason. I thought maybe someone left something I could wear behind. But I'm striking out over here. Got a solution?"

"Hold on," John said, rummaging in the room. Within minutes, he found a smaller sized t-shirt than the one he gave her last night and a pair of sweats. "Well, the good news is that I found something."

"And the bad news..." she asked.

"It's going to be big and definitely will not win you any awards in a style magazine," he said as he walked over to the door. "You decent?"

"Not really. Just throw them through and I'll get them. Am I allowed to shower? Or do you need to do your... bodyguarding stuff and check for nightly intruders?"

He grinned. Leave it to Keller to joke around in any situation. "Go and shower. I think we're pretty well safe here. I'm going to make a call to Mitchell and get an update."

"I won't be long," she called out and he heard her step into the bathroom.

He dialed the number to the secure line Mitchell had given him access to. The Colonel answered after several rings. Mitchell confirmed that no progress had been made, but to still keep out of sight. Agreeing, John took a quick shower. By the time he was done, he heard the other shower end in the room next door.

"Not bad, for a woman," he said to himself.

* * *

They made breakfast together in silence. With working together for so long, they were used to the comfortable silence and communicating without speaking.

After breakfast, she just starred at him expectantly. "Okay, fine. I'll admit it. I'm bored. And don't you narrow those eyes at me, John Sheppard. You're just as unused to idle time as me."

He had to smile. "You know, most women would enjoy this."

Giving him a smile for the first time, she began looking around. "Trust me. Not many women I know would enjoy knowing they're a target for a kidnapping," she joked. "But this place is amazing. I've never been in a house as fancy as this."

"Compared to our other homes, it's actually on the smaller side," he admitted, uncomfortably.

"Other homes?" Jennifer gulped. "I heard a passing comment that you came from a big business family, but I never connected you as being this rich." Her mind was swirling. "I can just hear Cadman now. 'How was your trip home to Earth, Jen?' 'Oh, it was great. Threatened to be kidnapped. Not like that's anything new. Spent a week, alone, in one of Sheppard's many homes.' This will just read out great in your mission report."

Rolling his eyes, he gestured her to follow him to the kitchen. Finding two bottles of water, he tossed her one and sat down. "Don't be so dramatic, Keller. But back to one of your comments. You don't have a problem with staying here... alone... with me, do you?"

It was her turn to laugh and roll her eyes. "No, I'm just having a hard time adjusting to everything that's happened in the last eight or so hours. Although there's going to be interesting rumors going around Atlantis when we get back, which I won't look forward to. The women, with the exceptions of Teyla and Cadman, already hate me enough because I get to sit with the 'Bachelors of Atlantis.'"

He about spit out his water. "'Bachelors of Atlantis?' Who in the world says that?"

Laughing, she began checking out the rest of the kitchen area. "Everyone. At least the women. They constantly ask about you and especially Ronon. At least they don't hate me because they know I'm not with any of you... you know, in that sort of way... but more because I'm part of the inner circle with you guys." She moved to look at a few pictures of John and his family hanging in the corner of the kitchen. Seeing John as a teenager, she grinned. "Nice braces, John. Anyway, I tell the women all they need to do is get a streak of bad luck, get rescued a few times, and they too can earn a seat at the table."

"And people wonder why I don't date," he muttered. A sound of a car approaching made him hold up a finger to silence her. "It could be the delivery truck. But just to be safe, keep out of sight until I call for you."

Nodding, she hid by the pantry as John made his way to the front. When a door slammed, definitely not sounding like the sound of a delivery truck, he reached for his gun. When a key sounded hitting the door nob, he paused. _What in the world?_ Not hesitating as the door opened, he yanked the intruder into the house and slammed him against the wall. It only took one split second for him to recognize the face.

"Dave?" he choked out. Not releasing him immediately, John just sighed. "Man, what are you doing here? I could've killed you."

Jennifer, hearing the conversation, came out of her hiding spot. "Uh, John? How about putting down the gun?"

As John released the taller man, she smiled. "Hello."

Nodding, Dave looked back at his brother. "Glad I didn't come in the middle of the night."

Jennifer snorted, making John smile a bit. John allowed his brother room to enter the room. "Yeah, been there, done that last night."

He beckoned Jennifer to come over. "Dave, this is the woman I told you about. Jennifer has to lay low for a few days until we hear back from our people. Jen, this is my brother. Dave Sheppard."

Dave greeted her, then turned to pick up the duffel bag and one of the large-sized boxes he left on the porch. "Thought I'd deliver these myself," Dave gestured at the boxes. "Clothes, for you both."

Jennifer perked up. "He comes bearing gifts. I'm liking you already."

Not thrilled that his brother was there, John backed over to the sofa and sat down. "Dave, you shouldn't be here. It's not safe."

Dave stripped off his coat and sat across from him. "I didn't want to miss an opportunity to see you, especially when you warned me it could be another year or so until your next visit."

Running his hands through his hair, John groaned. "Dave, it's not that I don't want to see you."

Jennifer, sensing the slight tension in the air, moved to sit next to John. "Oh, stop the worrying, John. If someone wanted to grab me that bad, they would've had a plant working yesterday with Mitchell's team and grabbed me then."

John was reluctant to agree with her. "Yeah, probably, but still. Dave, I'm not going to tell you to leave. And I'm happy to see you. But there's a risk involved." Nudging Jennifer, he rolled his eyes. "She's a magnet for trouble. It usually takes a team of two men to keep her out of harm's way."

"It's worth the risk," Dave shrugged. "And when don't you run into security problems? You even had to leave Dad's funeral for something with that man Ronon."

Jennifer smirked. "Thank you, Dave. We're going to get along great. John, as your brother so brilliantly pointed out, you're not so low maintenance yourself."

"Oh, please," John rolled his eyes in response. "You're lucky everything I could possibly say right now is classified, Doc."

"Doctor?" Dave looked back at them. "I figured you were military like my brother."

She shook her head. "No, but I feel like that half the time, let me tell you." Sensing the conversation would need to end soon due to security issues, Jennifer stood up. "Okay, someone better find me something to do. A doctor with free time is not a good thing."

For the first time since Dave had arrived, John grinned. "Alright." He turned to his brother. "Well, since you're here. And if you're sure you want to stay... you still keep my pride and joy here?"

Dave smiled. "Of course. Want to take it for a spin?"

She sat back and watched the two men silently communicate to one another. _Oh yeah_, she thought. Now that they were both relaxed, the resemblance was there. "What're we doing?"

John stood up and grabbed her hand. "We're going for a ride. Come on!"

"Ride? What? Okay, but hold on. Let me get changed first. I'm not going out like this unless I have to. "

Dave moved to pick up one of the boxes. "I'll bring this up for you, Doctor. John, yours is still on the porch."

"Call me Jen," she said over her shoulder as he followed her up the stairs. "I'm in the blue room, next to John's. And have I told you how grateful I am for clothes that fit?"

Moving through the doorway after her, Dave set the box down by the foot of the bed. "It wasn't a problem," Dave said. "My assistant was able to order all yours online. I did the same for John. I gotta say... little brother doesn't usually hand me requests like this one."

They'd reached the top of the stairs. Jennifer indicated which room was hers. "Shopping? Or hiding jinxed doctors?"

He laughed. "Yeah, maybe a little of both. I guess I shouldn't be surprised. When John ducked out of our father's funeral like that— I have to admit, I was pretty steamed. But he was able to come back, after whatever sent him off like that was over. We came to the understanding that both of our jobs are demanding, and sometimes he can't chose when his requires attention." Dave pulled a fancy Swiss Army knife out of his pocket and opened the box for her.

"Well, I can't imagine that's easy to handle, but you're right," Jennifer carefully said. Unable to resist, she began pulling out clothing. "We don't have the choice sometimes to ignore something. It could be life or death. Wow. I don't think I've ever worn anything as nice as this. Everything is gorgeous. You'll give John the bill, right? I'll pay you back."

Dave could tell this woman was the real deal. The money that surrounded her may be foreign to her, but it didn't seem like she was the type that would covet a relationship with John just for his money.

"It came out of John's account," Dave said, turning to leave. "Take it up with him. I'm sure he won't want you to pay him back."

"Well, too bad," she said, then turned red as she began pulling out bras and panties. "Yeah, maybe I'll finish going through this later. Anyway, I pay my own way. He'll deal with it."

He shrugged. "John's pretty stubborn. Especially about money. He has no use for it."

She wanted to chuckle, but held it back. "Well, some may see that as odd, but I see it as a testimony of his character. I dated someone once in college. He thought because he came from money, the world owed him respect and was at his disposal. You both seem more grounded than that."

"And you can tell all that even though you've only known me for less than an hour?" Dave smiled from her doorway. He heard John coming up the stairs.

"You came. Dropped everything in the middle of the work week, which I'm sure was not easy for a man of your position, to see John. You thought about things like clothes for us. Stocked the house. And now you're putting yourself possibly at risk by being here," she explained. "I'd have to determine that you're not much different than John. Loyalty and taking care of those you love seems to run in the family."

Dave just starred at her. "I think I'm going to get along with you also, Jen." He nodded as John got to their rooms. "I'll wait for you both in the garage."

Jennifer quietly shut her door to change. She pulled out a deep blue sleeveless top and khaki capri's. Crossing her fingers, she dug in the box and silently thanked whoever had shopped for her. Inside were a pair of running shoes, sandals, and slippers. Quickly changing, she eyed herself in the mirror. After a quick brush of her hair, she pulled her hair into a ponytail.

John knocked on their adjoining door. When she called for him to come in, he looked at her change of clothing. He'd changed into a pair of jeans with a striped Polo shirt. Dave, always the fashion trend person, didn't include anything fit for working on car like a t-shirt or ratty jeans, so he had to make do.

"Better," John said. The blue made her eyes look even more intense as they stared back into his own. _Cool it,_ he thought. _You can't be thinking about her like this._ Maybe having Dave there would be a good thing. Sort of like a chaperone in case he lost the battle of keeping his hands off of her. Last night was a mistake. One he didn't plan on repeating. "Are you ready?"

She looked a little nervous. "I guess."

He laughed, breaking the tension in his body. "You look scared. Come on, don't you trust me? I've flown you in a jumper a million times."

"Yeah, but I've heard you have the need to defy speed on the road," she said, opening the door for them both. "Can we try not to get pulled over or arrested on this trip on top of everything else?"

"Seriously, you're so much more fun back home," he joked, following her down the stairs.


	4. Chapter 4

_Thanks for the interest in the story! I'm a little shocked by the story alerts coming into my inbox, since this isn't a typical pairing for Jen.  
_

_A special thanks to Bailey1ak for all of her help with editing and the rest of the writing process._

_I apologize for the short chapter, but a few longer ones are coming up._

_

* * *

_

Hours later, Jennifer was still laughing. They'd spent the late morning and most of the afternoon prepping John's classic car to take it out on the road. The brothers had to tinker a bit with the car to get it running. While they'd worked, Jennifer had quickly made up a few sandwiches and packed a cooler Dave had found in the garage for them to take.

At one point, Dave offered to help her in the kitchen while John made one last check on the car.

"So tell me, Jen," he said, putting away the deli meat the grocery man had stocked in the refrigerator. "What do you do for the military?"

It was hard to remember she had to censor most everything she talked about with him. Jennifer put the last of the sandwiches into the cooler.

"Oh, the usual," she smoothly responded. "Patch up the guys who come to me with boo-boo's. Chase them around with needles. It's all fun and games."

Dave sent her a look telling her he didn't believe a word. "And 'fun and games' led you to be a target for whoever is after you?" He lifted the cooler, setting it by the door. Seeing that John wasn't finished, he walked over once more to the fridge and pulled out two bottles of water. Gesturing for her to sit, he sighed.

"Let me guess. Everything is classified," Dave starred out the window, not expecting her to answer. "I don't need to know anything specific. But just tell me this." He turned to her. "Is he happy?"

She cocked her head. "Happy? You're asking me if John's happy where he is?" Jennifer sat in the chair at the table. "I guess I'd have to say I think he is. I mean, he's terrific at his job. John's well-liked and has two or three really close friends. But in the end... I can't say for sure." She looked at him. "He's guarded about some things. For instance, personal stuff. Like his family."

"I overheard you yesterday talking with him when he first called me," Dave sighed. "It hurt that he'd never mentioned me to you."

"Well," Jennifer waved him off, "don't take that wrong. John and I are good friends, but we haven't gotten into any serious chats." Hoping the conversation would turn away from her feelings toward John, she began fiddling with the centerpiece on the table.

"Really?" Dave questioned. "Sorry, it just seemed like you guys are closer."

Being deliberately evasive, she pretended to be more interested flowers. "He's a great guy. A good friend to all of us."

"Are you trying to change the topic?" Dave asked in an amused voice.

Jennifer sighed. "It's complicated," she tried to explain, only to hear him chuckle. "Not like that, complicated. I meant to say that how we live, it's sort of like a small community. We're thrown together in difficult and odd situations at times, so even though we may not know everything about each other, we really don't have a choice to be completely relaxed and comfortable with one another. We have to trust and know one another because often, our lives depend on it."

"I know he's involved in something big," Dave admitted. "And it scares me. God, you don't know how much it scares me. When we lost our father a few months back, it hit me that he and I are all each other has now. But I guess it's comforting to know that he does have people who support him. It doesn't make not knowing where he is or what he's doing that much easier, but at least it helps some."

Now serious, she grabbed his hand. "Dave, I can tell you this. John's hard on himself and places unreal expectations on himself back where we work. If I know anything about him, he probably didn't mention you because it's an area where he feels like he failed."

Dave's jaw clenched. "Well, if that's the way he feels, he's wrong. It was my father and I who failed him."

"Then tell him that," she encouraged him. "You both look like you have a lot of missed time to make up for. And he's right. We don't get the chance to get home a lot. Take advantage of it."

He narrowed his eyes. She could tell he was about to say something, but instead gave a small smile. "I'm glad he has people like you with him. I can tell you care."

* * *

Two men sat waiting in an abandoned building. Both were businessmen. And both were livid.

When two men, both Marines, entered the room, the taller one stood up.

"Well, I see you return to us empty handed," he spoke quietly. The threat in his voice couldn't be missed. "Why is Dr. Keller not with you?"

"She's not there," one Marine spoke up. "Dr. Keller never beamed down to the SGC."

"Sheppard's got her," the other business man, still sitting, slammed down his fist on the table. "Alright. Both of you. I want you to dig up anywhere you can think that Sheppard's got her stashed. But until we get her, we need to make some progress." He looked to his partner.

His partner nodded. "Dr. Lam. Of course."

"They're watching her as well," the second Marine admitted. "But I think I know a way to easily get around that."

"Then do it," the tall man said again. "Tonight."

* * *

When they returned to John, he had the car running and was grinning from ear to ear. Dave insisted she sit up front with John.

"What do you think?" Dave called out over her shoulder.

The wind was ripping through her hair as she laughed. "Incredible! It's been so long since I've been in a car."

Confused, he looked at John through the rear-view mirror. John just shrugged.

"They don't let her out much," he joked. "She tends to be a handful."

Jennifer smacked John in the arm and continued looking out her side of the car. The scenery in Maine was breathtaking. They passed several scenic look-out points until they settled on an area that overlooked the ocean. While John and Dave exchanged stories about their childhood Jennifer found hysterical, they devoured the contents of the cooler.

By the time they returned back to the house, it was almost dark. Dave threw a frozen pizza into the oven.

"Monopoly, anyone?" Dave grinned, pulling out the board game.

John rolled his eyes. "You play that for a living."

Dave answered with a laugh. "Yeah, but it never gets old."

"I'm in," Jennifer rubbed her hands. "But I'm not the banker and I want the car."

"Demanding, aren't you?" John said as they sat down and set up the game.

She reached over and grabbed the game piece. Then, she double checked that John, who volunteered to handle the money, dealt her the correct amount of money. "Of course. And since I'm the only girl here, you guys will do the gentlemanly thing and let me get what I want."

They laughed at her reasoning.

Several slices of hot from the oven pizza later, Jennifer was glaring at John.

"I want Park Place," she demanded. "Look, I have Boardwalk. Park Place is useless to you without it."

"Then give me Boardwalk."

"Ha!" she laughed. "So you can wipe me clean when I land on either one of them? Sorry, no thank you, Mr. Moneybags."

"So you're saying if I land on either one of them," he said, leaning forward, "you'll let me off without paying you?"

She snorted. "Not likely. Come on," Jennifer whined. "You're rich in real life. At least let me be wealthy in one game of Monopoly."

He looked over at his brother, who seemed to be enjoying watching the exchange. "Hey, don't pull me in the middle of this. You do what you want to do."

When it seemed like John was contemplating something, Dave studied the two sitting across from him. John wouldn't admit it, but Dave caught on pretty quick. His brother was subtly flirting with Jennifer. Even though they hadn't been close the past decade of their lives, Dave could read his eyes better than anyone. The quick glances, wry smiles, all gave him away. John was completely infatuated with her. No, he thought. Dave remembered how careful John had been with her during their outing today. He never let her out of his sight, opened her door, held her hand as she climbed down the rocks to the beach. He grinned. His brother was more than infatuated. John was in love with her.

John sighed, and handed her Park Place. "Now cough up the money. You're not getting it for free."

Jennifer's mouth split into a grin. Dave just stared in disbelief at his brother.

"You're going to give up Park Place?" He just shook his head. "I guess that's what you get when you play with a pretty girl."

Jennifer laughed, patting his brother's hand. "Don't worry. I haven't forgot that you have two railroads that I have my eye on."

Dave snorted. "You're not getting those from me."

Twenty minutes later, Jennifer was grinning like an evil villain from a Disney movie. Not only had Dave sold her the two railroads, but she had houses built up on most of her properties and was killing both brothers each time they rolled.

They just stared at her, disgusted with themselves.

"Who are you, and what have you done with Jennifer Keller?" John asked, shaking his head. "Dave, if she's ever out of a job, I think you have a potential employee on your hands."

She just laughed, helping put away the money once both John and Dave went bankrupt. "I'd hate it. This is fun with fake money, but I'd never want to have this much of the real stuff. More money, bigger problems, as they say."

The wind was whipping the tree branches against the windows. Rain was coming and it was getting dark. For some reason, John began to have a bad feeling that something wasn't right.

"I'll be back in a bit," John called over to them.

"Where's he going?" Dave asked, throwing the cards back into the zip lock bag and finding the top to the game.

"Body guarding stuff," she joked and then got serious. "John hasn't heard from our friend, so we're not sure if I'm still in danger."

A few minutes later, John came back with a grim look. "Keller, stay with Dave. I have to check something out."

"What's wrong?" Dave stood up. He saw the instant change in his brother's demeanor. The sidearm he'd seen under John's coat came out. His eyes hardened, looking like something had turned on inside of him.

"Footprints," John announced to both of them. "Not ours. It doesn't look like anyone broke in, but there's a set leading to the back door and over by the game room."

"You want me to try getting a hold of Mitchell again?" Jennifer said. "See if they've heard anything on their end?"

"Yeah," John tossed the phone to her. "Ask for an update."

John checked over the room while Jennifer sat in the corner of the room, away from the windows, and dialed the number John had programmed in.

Dave watched his brother. It looked as if John was meticulously checking the perimeter of the room for signs of anything suspicious. He went over the windows, checked the exits, and all the while never turned his back on Jennifer. He did this all before leaving her to check outside again.

Pausing, John turned to him. He unfastened one of his pockets and handed a hand gun to him. "Look," John said. "If I had another choice, I wouldn't involve you in any of this. You still keep up on shooting these things?"

Dave seemed surprised. "Of course." He inspected the gun, satisfied he was comfortable if he had to shoot it, then looked at up his brother. "Your girl is safe with me, John. Go check outside. Just be careful."

"Thanks, Dave," John said to his brother, sending him a rare look of open trust.

He went out the back, checking for any additional signs the person may have left. After several minutes, he concluded that he couldn't rule out that it was just someone in passing. Tourists often came by the area and checked out the homes. It could've been anyone. But that thought didn't make him feel any better.


	5. Chapter 5

_Thank you for all the comments! I enjoy reading them and it encourages me as I finish the last few chapters. _

_A special thanks to Bailey1ak for all of her help with editing and the rest of the writing process. I did add a little to this chapter, so any mistakes are my own.  
_

_I may have to start publishing every other day soon unless I get this story wrapped up in the next few days. I haven't had as much time as I initially thought I would have to finish due to a few things coming up in our lives. But I'll try to avoid that.  
_

_

* * *

_

Cameron Mitchell jolted straight up in bed when his cell phone blared next to him. Fumbling for it, he glanced at the clock. It read 1 a.m. Not good, he thought.

"Mitchell," he answered, groggily.

"They got her," a gruff voice came over the phone.

"General Landry?" Cameron asked, not clearly recognizing his voice.

He heard the General take in a ragged breath. "Yeah. Mitchell, get back here. I need your help." There was a pause. "They took Carolyn."

Cameron's heart stopped. "On my way."

He jumped out of bed, racing for a pair of jeans and a shirt. Pulling them on and throwing on his leather jacket, Cameron grabbed the gun from his night stand and flew out the door.

Making it to the SGC in record time, Cam stopped the car at the entrance and threw his keys at the first person he saw. "Park it and then have someone bring me the keys. I'll be with Landry."

The man nodded, stepping aside before he was trampled by Mitchell running to the elevator.

Landry was waiting for him when he stepped out of the elevator. Standing with him was Daniel and Teal'C.

"You three," Landry said. "Come with me." He led them to a private conference room and shut the door. "Sit down."

Cameron refused to sit. "How did they get by the men stationed there?" He swore. "We had the place locked down tight."

Landry just starred at his hands. "We did. They got a hold of something to get in without being seen. I didn't think they'd—" He stopped, swallowing. "Only the two guards stationed there and you three know. I'm not trusting anyone else at this point."

Daniel squeezed the General's shoulder. "Henry," using the General's first name to get through his haze. "We'll get her back." Daniel looked up at Cameron, who wasn't doing any better than the General. But instead of looking frantic, Cameron looked ready to kill someone.

"Come on," Cameron bit out, throwing open the door. "We're losing time. Daniel, find out anyone who could've possibly come by Dr. Keller's research. I want a list of names within the hour. Then let's see if any of them are linked to rogue groups outside the SGC or IOA. Teal'C, you're with me."

The two men stepped through the door, but Landry grabbed Mitchell's wrist before he could follow them.

"Cameron," Landry said, not keeping eye contact with him. "I know. You may have tried to hide it, but I've seen the way you look at her."

Cameron looked at the ceiling. For a moment, the red haze he'd been seeing for the past thirty minutes was gone. Replacing it was wariness and uncertainty. "General, nothing's going on. Neither of us have pursued those— feelings."

For the first time, Landry smiled. "Again, I know. Cam— please find my little girl."

The two men finally met each others eyes. "That's a promise, General."

He left, trying to check the emotions boiling through his body. Fear. Anger. And regret. The regret part surprised him, but made him realize something. He wasn't fooling himself or anyone else. Cameron was in love with the General's daughter and would stop at nothing to get her back.

* * *

Turning, John went back inside and saw that Jennifer was off the phone.

"You talk to him?" he asked.

She nodded. "He didn't have good news. Dr. Lam was taken from her home." Jennifer looked worried for her co-worker she'd briefly paired up with before leaving for Atlantis. "Cameron said the General even had surveillance there in case. They got by."

"Lam had access to the same material as you. All of your research..."

"Exactly." She was carefully wording everything so that she didn't break any clearance codes. "Mitchell's pretty frantic."

"Understandably so," John said. "They stole his CMO. I'd feel the same."

"No, John" she shook her head. It was clear to her from talking to Cameron that he felt something much deeper for Carolyn. "I mean, he's freaking out. As in..."

"As I said," he repeated in a low voice, "I'd feel the same."

Jennifer just stared at him, confused. Part of her wondered if he fully understood what she was implying. If John got the message that Mitchell cared more about Carolyn than just another co-worker, was John admitting having those same feelings toward her? However, this wasn't the time or place for that discussion.

John tore his gaze away from her and looked at Dave. "We're going to sit tight here still. Part of me thinks we may be in the clear, since they may not be looking for you anymore now that the have Lam. The more sensible part of me is saying to still stay on guard."

"You're in the room next to Jennifer, right?" Dave asked. "How about we move something heavy in front of her door? That way, if someone did break in, they'd have to get by you first."

John looked impressed. "Dave, you missed your calling."

"Or," Jennifer mused, shaking off their earlier conversation, "he got the same overprotective and paranoid gene that you did."

The two men followed her upstairs and slid the dresser in front of her door. After they were done, John noticed the late hour.

"We better get some sleep," he said, looking at Jennifer. "Just in case something comes up in the next few hours. They may need us back. You tired?"

"No," Jennifer admitted. "I can't shake the guilty feeling that Carolyn is out there right now."

John understood. Even though she had nothing to feel guilty about, he too was worried for the young doctor. Especially since he was helpless to go help Cam find her. Cursing himself for not bringing Ronon with them, he wished the Satedan was there to help with the search. His thoughts moved to Rodney... he'd be helpful in tracking her as well. Funny, John thought. As opposite as the two men were, they both had the keenest tracking ability... one relied on physical evidence, while the other leaned on help from technology.

"I'm going to take a hot bath," she said, wrapping her arms around herself. "Maybe that'll get me sleepy. So... out you both go."

"Alright, but keep the adjoining door open. I'll be next door." John left the room. "Dave, how about a movie in my room? I don't think I'll be able to sleep either. Keep me company?"

Dave readily agreed. "I'll go grab something. Any requests?"

John shook his head. "Surprise me."

When Dave returned, they popped the movie in and began half watching it. John lay sprawled on top of the covers on the bed. Dave was stretched out on the chaise a few feet away from the bed.

"I like her," Dave said out of the blue. "Jennifer." He obviously wasn't giving a lot of attention to the movie.

Wondering where that came from, John just gave him a puzzled look. "Yeah, she's great. Smart, too," he said. After a long pause, John felt the need to say more. "Did I tell you she graduated medical school younger than anyone else in the country?"

"Really? Why isn't she working at some fancy hospital?"

He couldn't imagine her working anywhere else but on Atlantis. "The government recruited her shortly after her residency."

Dave looked confused. "And she willingly turned down probably hundreds of other offers, huh? They must have offered her something she couldn't pass up."

"Well, it definitely wasn't glamour or fortune," John said. Grinning as he thought about her misadventures, he had to laugh. "I'll say this, though. She's gotten tough. When she first came to work with us, I thought a strong wind would blow her over. But she's learned a lot in the past few years. And keeps us on our toes with keeping her out of trouble."

"And when do you plan on admitting that you feel for her more than you let on?" Dave slyly asked, catching John off guard.

John only glanced at Dave. Lowering his voice to make sure Jennifer couldn't hear, he shook his head. "You know more than anyone that I suck at relationships. She deserves more than what I can offer her."

"And that's what's holding you up?"

John let out a frustrated sigh. "Yes, if you must know. Dave, you saw what happened to my marriage with Nancy."

"Yes, and let's talk about that," Dave argued. "The only reason you proposed to her was to make one last effort to reconcile with Dad. Both families pushed you together. Yeah, she was halfway in love with you... maybe more in love with the idea of being married in all honesty. But did you really love her?"

John didn't answer. His jaw just set firm, indicating he wasn't going to respond.

"You didn't, John," Dave answered for him. "You were thrown together by Father. There was attraction in the beginning, but John... I watched you guys. You never had the bond that I'm seeing between you and Jennifer. You say that you're not close, but the woman trusts you completely. And it's obvious she cares for you."

"Dave, it's just not that simple," John reasoned. "For starters, there's our jobs. We're both heading up areas where we work. If something was to change and we split, it could have a ton of impact." He paused. "And that's if... she'd even want a relationship with me. Sure, we both care about each other, but everyone does where we work. We're a part of a tight-knit circle of friends."

Dave sighed. "John, I think if you give her a chance, you'd be surprised. Sure, you have a lot of baggage. Your relationship with dad was rocky at best, especially when you told him you didn't want to follow in the business. Your marriage was a bust— neither one of you were in love and both had different job priorities. We're working on ours. But don't quit something or doom it to end before even giving it a chance."

"You make it sound easy, man," John said, turning the tables. "And what about you? Seeing anyone?"

Dave avoided his eyes. "No, no time for that."

His quick answer made John laugh. "Ha! Not so chatty when it comes to your own love life." John saw his brother's hint of a smile. "There _is_ someone. Come on, tell me. We may not have been that close in the past ten years, but I know you, bro. What's her name?"

"Alright," Dave said with an annoyed look. "If you must know... Kylie and I kind of reconnected. She's working for me. As my assistant."

"Kylie? As in, Kylie Howard?"

"Yeah," Dave said, shifting in his seat. "She was the one who shopped for your girlfriend." As expected, Dave knew his last remark would irritate John.

"Nice, try. Anyways, how's she doing? God, I haven't thought of her in years," John said, lowering the movie.

"She's good," his brother replied.

"Good? That's it?" John snorted. "After harping on me about my problems—"

They both heard a noise coming from Jennifer's room. The tub could be heard draining. She was moving in the room, searching for something again. They heard a triumphant "ah-ha" and then the sound of a hair dryer going.

"Well, to be quite honest with you," Dave said, "She's amazing. I couldn't ask for a more loyal or hard-working employee."

John snorted. "And she's doing this all for the money, right? Last time I checked, her family was worth twice what we have. So let me ask you... why was she so insistent on working for you?"

"Yeah, they have money," Dave admitted. "More than we ever had. But Kylie told me she didn't want to be the stereotypical daughter who sat on committees and shopped all day. She wanted to put her business degree to use. I believed her, and hired her on the spot."

"God, you're an idiot," John rolled his eyes. "Kylie always had a thing for you. Even when we were seeing each other."

Dave looked at him in surprise. "She did?"

John heard the dryer stop next door. Lowering his voice again, he nodded. "Took you long enough to figure that out."

They sat in silence for awhile. Finally, Jennifer peeked her head in. Her hair, falling down around her face, she looked years younger. And incredibly vulnerable. John had to hand it to Kylie. She picked some incredible clothes. Jennifer stood in the doorway, wearing a matching charcoal black pajama set. The tank top style was held up with thin spaghetti straps and came up slightly short on her waist, showing a hint of mid-drift.

"I'm going to sleep," she said quietly. Smiling at Dave, she looked back at John. "Don't worry about being loud. I can sleep through anything. It's one of the perks of being a doctor."

John awkwardly cleared his throat. "Yeah. Alright. Leave the door open."

She nodded. "Night," she said, looking back at both of them.

"If you let that one go, you're an idiot," Dave said, charmed by the women next door. "Take my advice— if you wait for something to happen, you'll be waiting forever."

"Personal experience?"

Dave paused at the doorway. "Yeah, you could say that. Good night, John. And if I forget to tell you this weekend... I'm glad we got this chance to see each other."

John nodded. "It's good to have you back in my life, Dave."

* * *

Carolyn Lam's cool exterior didn't give away that she was shaking inside. Glaring at the two men watching her from the corner of the room, she slowly began working in the lab she'd been brought to hours ago.

When they'd arrived, one man had given her a threatening speech. About the various ways he'd chose from to end her father's life. Then they'd showed her footage of how they were watching his house.

Her hands shook a bit when she remembered how easily they'd established access to her father. Knowing full well that her dad would rather be dead then let these men get a hold of concrete data about the Wraith DNA that would allow them to alter soldiers in battle, she did everything in her power to stall the process of going through the research.

And while she did that, Carolyn couldn't help hoping that help was on the way to get her out of this mess. By now, someone must've noticed her missing... one of the guards her father insisted on posting at her condo, for one. But noticing that she was missing was the simple part... finding her would prove to be much more challenging. When she first arrived, they immediately disabled her tracking device.

It didn't stop her for holding on to hope... the SGC employed a number of people who proved to be able to do the impossible. SG-1, for starters. Her thoughts moved to Colonel Mitchell. Knowing her father, he'd put him in charge of the search and rescue. Envisioning Mitchell coming to her rescue got her through the next few hours as she desperately tried to stall and prevent the men holding her from getting the information they desired.


	6. Chapter 6

_A special thanks to Bailey1ak for all of her help with editing and the rest of the writing process. And for calming me down as I freak out that I'm not finished with this story :)_

_I appreciate the comments! I'm glad to hear that others like this ship as well as I do. _

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* * *

_

Lying in bed, she heard the rain pounding on the roof. The bath had been incredibly relaxing, but hadn't made her tired. Her thoughts continued to return to Dr. Lam.

Jennifer gave up and got out of bed. She heard the TV still on in John's room. Peaking in, John looked like he wasn't even watching the movie playing on the screen.

"Hey," she called out softly. "Hear anything else from the SGC?"

John turned his head toward her. "No," he said. "I tried to get a hold of Cam, but he turned off the phone. Or he can't answer it. One of the two." Patting the bed, he gestured for her to sit. "Can't sleep?"

Sighing, she sat on the corner. Her hair, which she typically wore up, fell onto her bare shoulders. "No. I just keep thinking that they took her instead because they couldn't find me."

"It's not your fault," John said, swinging his legs to the side of the bed. _God, she was beautiful. _Suddenly having her sit next to him on the bed was more than he could take. Knowing that neither one of them were going to get sleep anytime soon, he stood. "Come on. Let's go down and get you some tea."

Before leaving, he grabbed his shoes. John noticed Dave's door shut and assumed he was sleeping or making calls regarding work. When they got to the kitchen, he put on a kettle while she reached up to get the tea bags. Smiling at the sight of her standing in her bare feet, on her tip toes with several inches of her waist showing from her stretching movement, John felt the urge to wrap his arms around her. He forced himself to stare down at the floor, clenching and unclenching his hands.

Fighting these feelings toward her was becoming more and more difficult, despite the situation they were in right now. He should be focusing on keeping her safe, but instead, John couldn't resist seeing her in this new light.

"Here," he brushed next to her and reached the mug she'd been trying to get. If he could just get the mug for her, he wouldn't have to watch all of this stretching going on. John realized he must've startled her because her face was slightly red. _Unless... _he thought. Maybe he wasn't the only one with these new found feelings.

Handing her the mug, he desperately searched for something to say.

"So, the clothes all fit?" he asked, figuring it was as good of a conversation opener as anything.

"Perfectly, actually. Speaking of which, I'm paying you back for them."

"Don't even think about it," John shook his head. "It was nothing."

As the kettle sounded, she reached over and poured the water into her mug and he turned off the burner. "John, I saw the tags. Your brother's friend knows where to shop. It's nice stuff... and expensive. I'm writing you a check."

"And it won't get cashed."

Glaring at him, she walked over to the island in the middle of the room and leaned back on it, sipping her tea. "Anyone ever tell you you're stubborn?"

"Actually, no," he grinned and lied. "It was just a few things. Don't worry about it."

Accepting gifts from a man just didn't sit well with her. "John, it'd be different if we were... if we had a different relationship. But coming from you, it's just not right."

And there it was. The perfect opening. Giving up his battle of wills to not open this door, he finally made a decision. "So," he said, putting down his glass of water. "You're saying if we were... together... it would be different."

"What?"

John turned quickly, filling up the glass again in the sink. Suddenly, he felt incredibly thirsty. And nervous. "Never mind," he said, shaking his head.

The old Jennifer— the one who came to Atlantis as an unconfident, wide-eyed young doctor, would've backed down. But now, standing a few feet away from him, she decided it was time to permanently shed her old self. She lifted her chin. "No. Tell me. What did you mean?" She grabbed his arm and forced him to face her. The water from his hand sloshed over the counter, where he set it with a clatter.

"Watch it! Or else we'll be sweeping up the-"

"Stop," Jennifer said, hands on her hips. "No more dancing around the subject. Is there something you're trying to tell me?"

As she began advancing toward him, John instinctively backed up only to hit the counter where he was leaning a few seconds ago. She saw a look on his face that she hadn't seen before. Uncertainty, for one. And Wariness. "Um... Yeah. No. I don't know?"

"You don't know?" Jen lowered her voice. She cocked her head sideways and pinned him with a look. "I'm going to need a clearer answer, John."

Somewhere in their conversation, he decided not to let her gain the upper hand. She was too desirable as she cornered him in the kitchen. He didn't know where this was coming from... she never acted like this back on Atlantis._ No,_ he thought. He had to put a stop before they made a decision they'd regret.

Now it was his turn to advance on Jennifer, making her back up until she hit the corner of the island. "Maybe. But I tend to talk myself out of things I want because I think I'll end up messing it up."

His words, and openness, shocked her. "So you're saying you do have feelings. Toward me. As a woman, and not just a co-worker or friend."

And how it happened, he didn't know. One minute, his intentions were to discourage her from continuing the topic. He was inches away from going back up the stairs, seeing her safely to her room, and clearing his mind of any thoughts about Jennifer Keller. But John made one mistake. He underestimated his lack of willpower. Throwing all caution into the wind, he continued advancing on her.

Inches away from her now, he closed the gap between them. "Yes," John bit out. "And I'm tired of denying it to myself. Same question, Jen. Do you or do you not have those same feelings about me?"

Words escaped her, so she just nodded.

His look darkened. Spanning her waist with his hands, he lifted her onto the table. It was just high enough for her to be at eye level with him.

Running her hands down his arms, she brought her eyes back to his.

"Your call, Jen," he grew serious. "If we're going to cross this line, I want to make sure this is what you want."

"You sound as if you're warning me against it... against you," she said, hands now against his chest. "But you're not going to scare me off."

John couldn't resist running his hands through her hair. Unable to hold his distance any longer, he cupped her face. His lips were inches from hers. He barely heard the audible yes when he tilted his head and claimed her lips. They both exhaled after the initial contact. John wrapped his arms around her body, pulling her flush against his own.

Seconds went by, but felt like minutes, as they explored the intimate contact for the first time. His brain stopped thinking the moment he felt her soft lips against his own. Groaning, he deepened the kiss and drank in the sweet taste of her lips. She'd taken a few sips of the cider-flavored tea. The flavor burned into his memory and would probably always remind him of his first kiss with the woman in his arms.

And then he was lost— completely exploring uncharted territory, John couldn't believe he'd held off kissing her as long as he had. He knew then that there was no turning back... the door was now opened and there was no chance he'd let her go. Everything felt right as he cupped her neck and ended the kiss, only to place gentle kisses on her check... to her jaw.

When they finally stopped, Jennifer looked down smugly at him. "Still want to warn me off?"

"Absolutely not," he growled, eagerly kissing her mouth again. "Now I'm just mad that I didn't buy you things before. Maybe we would've gotten around to this sooner."

Laughing, she brought her head back, leaving her neck exposed thanks to the wide expanse of skin showing from the tank top. He took advantage of it and ran his mouth along the side of her face and neck. Not expecting it, she gasped and clutched the back of his head, twisting her fingers into his unruly hair. At one point, she laughed as his breath tickled her collar bone.

"Ticklish there, huh?" he murmured against her ear. "That's nice to know."

"Stop!" Jennifer laughed, trying unsuccessfully to push him away. She slid off the counter and into his arms. They stood there for minutes, occasionally kissing each other and the rest of the time just holding one another.

"I have a confession to make," John murmured into her ear, making her shiver. "Breaking that mug last night... well, let's just say I enjoyed the process of cleaning up the mess. And then when I carried you to the stairs— I wanted to kiss you. It took everything I had to turn away from you."

"I wish you wouldn't have," she sighed. "I almost turned around as I was walking up the stairs. But I wasn't sure how you felt."

A loud thud sounded above them, making her jump.

"What was that?" Jennifer asked, growing serious. "Is Dave up still?"

John stood on alert. Cursing himself for not bringing down his gun with them, he looked around the kitchen. Setting her aside quickly, he grabbed a knife from the block behind her and grabbed for her hand.

"It's probably nothing, but-"

They heard a muffled yell come from upstairs. John threw her a glance. "Stay with me." Running up the steps, he knew she was following closely. They moved quietly against the walls, alert for whatever they'd find. Nothing looked disturbed in the hallway, except Dave's door was now opened. John heard a grunt come from inside at the same time a man stepped out of the bedroom.

He sprung into action, knocking the man to the floor. The intruder obviously didn't expect John to be standing there, but quickly recovered. They fought hard, each matching the others blows. Within a minute, though, John overpowered him and slammed him against the floor. He pinned him down, yanking his arm behind him.

"Jen, see to Dave," John called out.

Instead of obeying immediately, she ran inside his room and returned within seconds with his gun and transmitter. He nodded, appreciating her quick thinking, and watched her enter his brother's room.

As the man struggled, he knocked his head again to the floor. "Who sent you? Who wants her?"

The man just swore at him.

Grabbing for the knife still in his back pocket, John held it against the man. "You have five seconds. Or I start cutting."

"You wouldn't," the man bit out. "I've read your file, Sheppard. You may have been tough back on Earth, but Atlantis has made you soft. "

John tightened his hold. "Think again," he lowered his voice. "You picked the wrong woman to mess with. She's belongs to me. Don't think I won't hesitate to slice you up right here."

The man saw he was serious as he brought the knife down toward his neck. "Alright. Chill out, man. Look, I don't know the name of the people behind this. They paid me a lot of money to track her down. But I've got the location of where we were supposed to drop her off. It's in my back pocket."

John moved so that he could still pin him down and pull the paper out of the man's pocket. Shoving the paper into his jean pocket, he stood up.

"You just made one smart move. Now make another. Stand up," he trained the gun on the man. "Slowly."

As the man stood up, John's mind raced back to the last thing the man said. "Wait. What did you say?"

The guy stood, looking confused.

"You said 'we.' Is someone else here with you?" John demanded.

The man's eyes darted into Dave's room. Making a split decision, John lunged at the man with his fist, knocking him out effectively. As the man hit the ground, he heard Jennifer's scream.

* * *

"Dr. Lam," a man dressed in a business suit entered the room. "We have good news. Soon, Dr. Keller will be joining you. It seems as if you're not as competent in this area as we first believed. Such a shame." He walked up close behind her. "When she arrives, we'll have no use for you."

Carolyn instantly shivered. "She won't help you," she steeled her voice against her nerves.

"Oh, I'm sure we can convince her otherwise. See, my men are at the house Colonel Sheppard hid her away at. And guess what they saw through the kitchen window? A certain Doctor and Colonel locking lips. So I'm thinking... instead of the hassle of extracting her father from his comfortable home in Wisconsin, I can have the next best thing. Dangling Colonel Sheppard's life in front of her if she refuses to comply. And those two men over there... they're just itching to try out the new knives I gave them. They'll be quite convincing to the young doctor."

Refusing to look defeated, Carolyn did her best stand up straight and continue working. Closing her eyes, she hoped someone would come before that would happen.

* * *

The minute she stepped into Dave's room, Jen heard his labored breathing.

"Dave?" She called out, finally finding him on the other side of the bed. He was sitting up, struggling to stand. With the little light shining in the room from the nightstand lamp, Jennifer gasped at his face and hands. It was obvious he had put up a fight from looking at him. His knuckles were cracked in several places.

"Dave, who—"

"Get down," he said, standing and trying to push her behind him.

"You're hurt," she protested. "John's got the man down. You need to sit-"

All of a sudden, a man came forward from the shadows.

"You're not hurting her," Dave growled, putting himself between the two. Outside, they could hear John talking with the other man. It was clear John didn't hear anything that was going on inside the room.

The light glinted on the man's knife. Jennifer knew Dave was unarmed and frantically looked around for a weapon. She bent to rip the plug out of the wall of the lamp just as the second intruder advanced on Dave. With a yell, he went down on the floor, clutching his side. She screamed out his name. It was then that she saw the bloody knife the intruder held.

Dave lay, motionless, at her feet. She clamped down her jaw, gripping her weapon. Trying to make out the figure now coming at her, she swung the lamp around and smashed it hard against the man's head.

At first, she didn't think it stopped him. He just stood for a second, but then toppled to the ground.

"Jen!" John yelled, running into the room.

Jennifer ignored him and threw down the lamp. Dropping to the ground, she rolled John's brother over. Blood was pooling fast out of his side, soaking the carpet below him.

"John, get me something. A t-shirt. Towel. Fast," she ordered, switching into doctor mode.

She had to give him credit. He hesitated for a minute as he took in his brother's beaten and lifeless body laying there before he raced for the bathroom. He threw her the towel and yanked the ear piece out of his pocket. Since it was still dark in the room, he flipped on the main lights.

"Caldwell. Sheppard to Caldwell."

Jennifer half listened to him try to raise the Commander over the radio. The knife wound was deep. They needed to get him out of here. And quickly.

"Dave, I need you to stay awake," Jennifer demanded loudly, gently slapping at his cheek. His eyes opened as he looked around, confused. "You're going to be okay, but just stay with me."

John stopped as Caldwell came through the radio. "We've been found. Two men. Both are neutralized." He listened. "Keller and I are fine. We have a civilian here. My brother. He's injured."

His brother lay there, struggling to keep his eyes opened. "It's just a scratch."

Disagreeing, she met John's eyes. His brother was anything but fine. "He got hurt trying to protect me... threw himself in front of me. How far away is the nearest hospital?"

"At least 45 minutes. Maybe an hour. How bad is it?" John's eyes looked haunted, as if he had caused the damage himself.

Jennifer didn't want to add to his fears, but she couldn't avoid it. She checked the wound again. "Have him deliver us straight into the infirmary. Now. I need a team standing by, prepping for surgery."

John's coloring disappeared. He barked into the ear piece. "Have a team standing by in the infirmary. Medical and military. Keller needs surgery prepped. Lock on all five of us and get us up there." He yanked out the ear piece. "Jen, can you... can you do the surgery? I'd feel better if—"

Jennifer nodded. "Of course."

"What's he talking about?" Dave asked Jennifer, craning his neck toward John. "Where are we going?"

Jennifer just held the towel firmly against his wound and held his hand. "Congratulations, Dave." She smiled wryly. "You just earned emergency security clearance."

He still looked confused. "What does-?" he started to say but was cut off when a flash of light illuminated the room.


	7. Chapter 7

_Thank you so much for all the story alerts and reviews! It's really encouraging! Sorry for the delay... I'm publishing every other day now to get caught up. Hope you enjoy the chapter!_

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* * *

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With a blink of an eye they were transported to the infirmary. John and Jennifer were both surprised to see Ronon among the military men who handcuffed the two intruders and dragged them away to a holding cell. Ronon turned back once both were in custody and made his way over to them.

"Hey," he gruffly greeted them. "Heard you guys were in trouble. Woolsey let me come."

John barely acknowledged him, sending him a brief look. "Help us get him onto the gurney."

Ronon instantly recognized the man bleeding and holding Jennifer's hand. "That's your brother."

"Yes, and I'm going to need to stitch him back together," Jen confirmed. "On three. Little movement as possible, folks. One. Two. Three."

After lifting him onto the gurney, John ducked to the side of the room to call Mitchell. He pulled out the paper he'd taken from the one man back at the house. Quickly informing Mitchell of the location of Dr. Lam, he wished the Colonel good luck and returned back to Dave's side. Seconds later, Carter appeared in the doorway.

"Glad you made it back, John," Carter placed her hand on his arm. "How's your brother?"

"Jen's running scans now," he replied, moving back over to the area he'd left Dave.

Had they not transported him to the _Daedalus_, Dave probably would've passed out sooner from the loss of blood. Instead, his head moved from side to side as he took in his surroundings.

"Holy smokes," he breathed, looking around still. "Where am I?"

John stayed with him as they wheeled him into the prep area for surgery. "It's a long story, bro." He stared down at his brother, guilt ridden as he took in Dave's ashen colored face. "I'm sorry. I should've never let you stay. I knew the risks involved-"

His brother looked confused. "What are you talking about?"

"It's my fault," John said. "I should've known they'd find us. You weren't safe."

Jennifer overheard the last part of the conversation and made her way over. Giving a quick smile to Carter, she moved to Dave's side. Already dressed in scrubs, she called out instructions to the nurses. "Dave, we're going to start in a minute." She ran a scanner over the wound. "You have a little internal damage I'm going to fix for you. Otherwise, you should be fine. John," she turned to him. "He's going to be fine. Start breathing regularly or I'm going to admit you, too."

"Wait," Dave stopped them. It was as if the roles had reversed; now Jennifer was the one in charge, perfectly comfortable in her surroundings while John was looking like he was on the verge of panicking. "Slow down. This is a lot to process."

John took a deep breath and relaxed slightly. "Don't worry. We'll have plenty of time to talk after the surgery."

"Surgery?" his brother asked, looking up at him. "Am I in a hospital?"

Jennifer patted his arm. "Yes and no. Remember how John told you I'm a doctor? I'm also a surgeon."

"She's the best," John tried to relax more and moved along side of her. "Jen's the Chief Medical Officer where we work. She's put me back together dozens of times."

Sensing John was finally beginning to calm down, she reassured him by grabbing and squeezing his hand.

The move didn't go unnoticed by Dave, despite everything else swirling in his mind. He looked up at the two, giving a half-laugh, and finally put his head back onto the pillow. "Alright, let's get this over with. But John," he smiled weakly, "you're not getting off easy when I wake up. And I mean about everything," he nodded at their joined hands.

Flushing, Jennifer put on her mask and followed as they brought him into surgery. A quick look told her that Carter had also noticed Jennifer and John's change of relationship before ducking out of the room to work with Cameron on rescuing Dr. Lam. Shaking her head, she told herself now was not the time to think about how people would perceive them as a couple. She glanced back before going into surgery, glad to see Ronon had taken a silent vigil next to his friend.

* * *

Cameron eyed the abandoned building. Well, partially abandoned building.

He surveyed the area, checking for guards and security cameras. He narrowed in on one camera coming from the southeast side of the building. Figuring that to be his best bet, he pulled out his stunner and took it out. Knowing he'd only have a few minutes until someone came, Cam noticed a slightly opened window a few feet above the locked door. After a few failed attempts, he climbed and was able to squeeze his way through.

If Carolyn was in there, getting her out wasn't going to be as easy. He figured they'd disabled her transmitter. He just hoped it was disabled and they weren't running some type of blocking device around the building. Thinking back, he remembered when Landry demanded that she needed one. Carolyn had protested... and that was putting it lightly. Personnel could hear them fighting from his office until finally Cameron stepped in and reasoned with her. He told her if she was treating a patient off-world who didn't have one, they could target her and bring them both up if they found themselves in harms way. That did the trick, but his smooth reasoning wasn't lost on her. Glaring at him and Landry, she left the room in a huff, saying she'd get it done when she got around to it. To her surprise, Cameron cornered her before she left that day with a scientist and nurse at his side.

If her transmitter was dead, he'd be able to get Carter to lock in on them both and transport them to the _Daedalus_. He only hoped they didn't just have a way that would prevent them from picking up his signal.

As Cameron made his way through the dark hallway, he began hearing noises.

"Camera's dead," someone called out. "Avery— check it out."

Cameron stayed in the shadows until the man passed. He decided to let him get by, thinking it may be more of a problem for him to deal with if someone noticed the man missing right away. When another one came around the corner, he stunned him. "One down, however many to go."

Two rooms were up ahead. Labs, he figured, from the sounds coming out of them. He slowly made his way to one and saw four men huddled around a TV. A pizza box and two cases of beer lay scattered on tables. Backing up, he checked the other room. The door was unlocked. As quietly as possible, he inched it opened and found Carolyn. She was working at a computer with notes surrounding her on the table in front of her.

He gently closed the door. Looking around, he was surprised to see her unguarded. "Carolyn?" He whispered, still looking for signs that she was at least being guarded. Cameron winced when she yelped and dropped the test tube in her hand.

Thinking quickly, he backed up against the wall. A split second later, a man opened the door. "What's going on?"

Carolyn, to her credit, recovered. Dulling her eyes, she glared at the man. "I dropped something," she replied, nodding at the glass on the floor. "That's what happens when someone is forced to rush through something."

The man looked around the room. "Alright. See that it doesn't happen again. We don't have time to run out and get you more materials."

Cam could tell she wanted to fight back with sarcasm, but she held her tongue as he shut the door. Holding up a finger, he indicated for her to be quiet. They heard him call for Avery and walk down the hallway.

Making his way to her quickly, he lowered his voice. "Your transmitter," he said, pulling out his cell phone. "Is it dead or are they blocking it?"

"Dead," she replied.

He relaxed. "This is going to be easy, then."

"No!" she said, grabbing his arm. "They have someone watching my father. At his house. They showed me. If I try to escape, they threatened to—"

Shaking his head, Cam interrupted her. "He's not there. Landry hasn't left the SGC since you were taken," he assured her, then opened a channel on the radio. "Carter, lock in on me. I got her. Transmitter was damaged. No block."

"Got it," Carter said. "Nice job, Cam. I'm bringing you up to empty living quarters with a couple of beds. We still don't know how deep this is... only Caldwell will know you're there. And the General. You may need to hang out there overnight until we can get this sorted out."

The minute they were transported, Cam was surprised to have Carolyn shove him away from her. "You idiot! I don't believe you! They had footage of him walking into the house. It had a time stamp."

Wincing as he hit the table behind him in the room Sam had brought them up to. He rolled his eyes. "Carolyn, trust me on this. And think about it. Footage can be doctored. Made to look like it's live. You should know that."

"Give me a phone," she glared at him. "I want to call him."

"Fine," he bit out, throwing her the same satellite phone he'd used earlier. "And tell him the next time his ice princess gets captured, he can come get you himself."

Carolyn just pinned him with a glare while she dialed. "General?" she sighed. "I'm fine. Yeah, he's here." She took a deep breath. Cameron heard the hitch. She was upset. Never before had she displayed any emotion like this in front of him. Sarcasm, yes. Subtle words showing how much she resented her father for being absent during her childhood, of course. But the woman before him looked like she was going to break down in tears. "They said-" she got herself under control. "They said they were watching you at your house. That if I didn't work on Keller's research, they'd kill you."

Minutes went by. Slowly, the hard exterior replaced the fragile doctor. "I'm fine. Here, talk to Colonel Mitchell." She threw him the phone, stalked over to the bed, and sat rigidly while Cameron wrapped up the phone call. After hanging up, he sat down next to her.

"Sorry," he began softly, "about the ice princess remark."

She refused to look at him. "It's not the worst thing I've been called." Carolyn stood up, pacing the room. "We're not leaving this room, are we?"

Cam shook his head. "We need to sit tight. No one except Caldwell knows you're here. And Carter."

"Then I'm showering." And without another word, she went into the bathroom and closed the door.

Even though the young doctor didn't give away much information about her personal life, Cam knew she was in a desperate struggle with her emotions. After several hours of being kept in captivity, threatened that her father would be killed if she didn't obey, and now to be held in a room until they could figure out who to trust... all combined with the fact that she'd carried anger toward her father for years for placing his work before family. Cameron didn't doubt for a second that Carolyn was on the verge of a breakdown.

A knock sounded at the door. "It's Carter," Samantha quietly announced.

When he opened the door, he was surprised to see Sam armed with a pile of clothes and a paper bag. Leaning over, he discovered it was filled with food and bottles of water. "Thought you both could use this."

"Sam, you're a lifesaver." Cam took the items from her and placed them on the bed.

"Where's Dr. Lam?"

He nodded toward the bathroom. "Showering."

"How's she holding up?" she asked.

Cam shrugged. "The mask she wears when she doesn't want to let people in is on. For now."

Samantha's eyebrows inched up in surprise. "You figure you can get through that?"

It was no use hiding his feelings from Sam. They knew each other too well. "Planning on it."

* * *

Jennifer stripped off the scrubs after the surgery. The staff on hand was very accommodating to the surprise arrival of the doctor. A nurse had graciously thought about a change of clothing for her, seeing that she'd appeared in pajamas before throwing on a lab jacket and scrubbing in. She ducked into a side room and changed out of the scrubs while Ronon waited for her outside.

"Where's John?" she asked, a little surprised not to see him waiting outside the operating room.

If Ronon seemed surprised that she addressed John so informally, which she'd never done in his presence, he didn't say anything. However, she did notice a slight smirk rise from his mouth.

"He told me to stay here with you. Caldwell requested a debriefing." Ronon jerked his head, indicating to follow him. "I told him I'd bring you to him. He's on a radio now."

They walked as Ronon called him. A few moments later, Ronon grunted. "He said you're both staying for at least the night. They gave you a room."

Jennifer just followed, also not commenting about the situation. She figured Ronon was smart and would easily put two and two together. He stopped at a room and knocked, not leaving until Sheppard emerged from the room.

"Thanks, buddy. Get some sleep. I'll need you tomorrow," John said, pulling Jennifer inside. He shut the door once Ronon was out of sight. "Caldwell told me surgery went okay. How did it go?"

"He'll be out for a few more hours," Jennifer explained. "He lost a ton of blood. There was some damage internally, but nothing that couldn't be repaired."

John exhaled. "Thank you. For doing the surgery." He raised his hands and moved as if he was going to gather her into his arms, and then he stopped. "I'm going to have a lot to explain to him when he wakes up. Not to mention the more immediate problem of keeping you and Dr. Lam safe."

"Carolyn's okay?" Jennifer said, pretending not to notice his actions.

"Yeah," he said. "Cam got her about an hour ago and Carter sent them up here. She's okay. Turns out they were threatening her with her father, making it seem like he was in danger when the entire time he was at the SGC." He looked up and was surprised to see her tearing up.

Jennifer just stood there, trying to catch up to everything that had happened in the last few hours. "Sorry," she murmured, sinking down on the bed. "I think my brain and emotions are a little fried right now."

"Don't apologize," he said, pulling the covers back and forcing her to lie down. "I don't think either one of us expected the day to end as it did. Anyway, get some sleep. I'll be in the chair over there."

She sat up. "John, don't pretend like nothing happened before this all started tonight." Jennifer grabbed his hand and tugged him down so that he was sitting on the bed. "Look, I know you have a lot on your mind. So do I. But where does that leave us?"

He sighed. "Jen, I just don't know. Now that we've had a chance to step back a bit-"

"Step back a bit? All that happened was that your brother was stabbed, I fixed it up, and now we're here. When did we even have a chance to step back?"

John started to speak but she only interrupted him. "No. I'm not letting you quit this before we even try it." She held up a hand. "Let's compromise. We'll table the talk until this is over. But—" she stopped him from speaking. "We don't totally back away. And you're not sleeping in the chair."

Too exhausted to argue, he just held her challenging eyes. Then he couldn't help smiling. "Yeah, that girl that walked into the infirmary a few years ago is gone, isn't she? The one that would jump if you said 'boo.'"

Seeing that she'd won this argument, she smirked as he lay down and pulled her into the crook of his arm. "Sorry. She's long gone. Gotta problem with that?"

"Nope," he answered immediately, kissing her temple. "I like this one much better."

Jennifer curled into his body, feeling the comforting feel of him next to her. Clutching his shirt into her hand, she fell asleep.


	8. Chapter 8

_Thank you so much for all the story alerts and reviews! It's really encouraging! I'm going to continue publishing every other day now to get caught up on writing. Internet may be iffy in a couple of days, but hopefully I shouldn't have a problem uploading the next chapter on Tuesday and then Thursday. Hope you enjoy the chapter!_

* * *

Cameron knocked softly on the bathroom door. The shower was still going. "Carolyn? Carter brought a change of clothes for you. Can I open the door and set them on the floor?"

He heard her clearing her throat. "Yeah."

Minutes later, the shower stopped. Cam paced the room. He felt caged... cooped up. But he knew her safety depended on no one knowing they were there yet. He had to give Teal'C and Landry time to figure out who was behind this. The more time they stayed out of sight, the better.

But being kept in a room, alone with Carolyn... he felt off center. As if he couldn't get his balance quite right with her. One minute she was fire— full of sarcasm and looks that would stop anyone with half a brain from getting close to her. Then he'd see her mask slip off. And the vulnerable side peaked out, making him unable to resist her.

When she walked out of the bathroom, her long dark hair hung in wet waves, framing her face. He inwardly groaned.

Just as he was about to say something, he noticed she wouldn't make eye contact with him. "Carolyn?" Forcing her to look up at him, he wasn't surprised to see her reddened eyes. She'd been crying.

"Hey," he softly said. "What's wrong?"

Carolyn squeezed her eyes shut, wrenching out of his grasp. "Nothing. You wouldn't understand." She moved to put down the bundle of clothes she was holding.

Cameron wasn't about to let her off that easy. "For once in your life... how about you try opening up? Instead of letting all that anger and frustration eat away at you? Carolyn," he turned her around, forcing her to face him again. "How about letting someone in for a change?"

He saw her eyes well up. "No," she whispered. "It hurts too much."

"What? To let people in?"

"You don't know how it was for me, growing up," she said. "I never saw my dad. My mom was always worried he was in trouble. No one sent us word if he was or wasn't. It was always a waiting game. I was angry for so long at him."

She took a deep breath, trying to reign in the sobs that wanted to erupt from her tightly wound body.

But now," she continued, "I understand there's another side to it. One that my selfish side... and one that my mother never got to see. And now that I understand... it's even harder. I don't know how to deal with it. With him. I feel like it's too late to have any type of relationship with him."

He forced her to sit down on the bed. Kneeling in front of her, he placed his hands on her knees. "Carolyn, if you'd just let people in and open up, you'd find a world full of understanding, especially with what you're going through." Cameron brushed the wet hair from her face. "Like me. I went through the same thing with my dad. And then he came back, permanently disabled. You don't think I felt anger? Toward the military? Toward him?"

Carolyn sucked in a breath. "I'm sorry. I'd heard... I forgot—"

"But it doesn't matter," he said. "I'm a grown man now. Now I'm the one in the military, seeing what he had to go through. I understand the sacrifice he made. The same one I make now. And I think you've finally come around to understand all of that too. Now, all you have to do is let him in. He loves you so much, Carolyn. You didn't hear the man's voice when he called me in the middle of the night, saying his little girl was gone. I've never, ever heard him sound so raw before."

Tears that were pooling in her eyes escaped, leaving trails down her cheeks. "I know he loves me. I just don't know how— Cameron, I've been so full of anger that I don't know how to love him."

Unable to resist, he rose up on his feet and dragged her against him. "It's going to take time. You'll get there. And you already took the first step." He pulled her slightly away from him. "You opened up to me. You even called me by my first name. And you're letting me hold you."

Heat rose in her cheeks. "Yeah... well, you're not so bad. To be honest, I always tried to stay away from you."

"Why?" he asked, puzzled.

"Because of the way you made me feel," she admitted, ducking her head.

"And how," he murmured, "do I make you feel, Doctor?" Sensing a softening in her, he tugged her closer.

"Like I can't think," she admitted. "And that it's hard to hide everything from you. You're just too easy to talk to."

Feeling slightly disappointed, he looked down at her. "And that's it?"

She rolled her eyes. "Fine," she said, giving up at hiding her feelings anymore with the man holding her. "I can't stop myself from being attracted to you. That I'm going to lose the battle and finally admit that I'm falling in love with Landry's golden boy."

Laughter rumbled in his chest, making her glare up at him. "Landry's golden boy? Wow. That's one I haven't heard."

"Yeah, well... I made it up."

"But about the other part... the part where you said you're falling in love with me?" He began stroking her face, cupping the back of her neck. "If I told you that I felt the same way... for quite some time, I might add... and that I wanted to kiss you..."

She finally smiled, a rare burst of happiness rose from her face. "Then I'd have to ask what's stopping you?"

He groaned, finally allowing himself to lower his head within inches of her mouth. "Oh, only a really ticked off General for one, once he finds out I'm kissing his daughter."

"Oh, I think he'll be happy enough with you for finding me that he won't notice." Inches away, Carolyn pulled him down the rest of the way.

* * *

John awoke the next morning, smiling at the sight next to him. Jennifer was still tucked under his arm, with her own arm and one leg snaked across his body. He couldn't resist stroking her hair, feeling utterly happy about the change of events in the last three days. He thought back to his last words before they stepped foot off Atlantis and through the gate. Jennifer, he found out, was often right. Things didn't always go according to plan. Especially when it came down to matters concerning the woman herself.

He didn't know where they'd go from here. All he knew was that he was enjoying every second of their new relationship and didn't want it to change. They'd be able to make it work, despite his former insecurities about failed relationships.

And despite the lingering danger they were in, one other relationship seemed to be strengthening. Dave, in the last few days, had seen a glimpse of the problems John encountered on a daily basis. It seemed to make his brother gradually understand the depth and dangers of his job. He'd learn the real reason John stayed away now was due to his stationing in Pegasus. Before he was stationed at Atlantis, he avoided his brother and father simply because it was hard to deal with their strained relationship. Every meeting wound up becoming a fight. Accusations of John betraying them by not staying on in the family business and instead choosing the Air Force over family... it became easier just to avoid the confrontations all together and just stay away.

But now that his father was gone, John didn't want to stay away. He'd learned that staying away never solved anything, but instead led to regrets. He swore to himself, after the funeral, that he'd do everything in his power to actively work on forming a bond again with his brother.

He would've never thought a quick mission to Earth would result in admitting his true feelings to Jennifer as well as continue to repair the relationship with his brother.

"You're deep in thought this morning," Jennifer sleepily murmured in his arms.

John looked down to see her stirring. Not fully awake, she began stretching like a lazy cat across his body.

"Good morning to you too," John said, savoring the feeling of her waking up in his arms. "Sleep okay?"

She laughed. "Considering I'm not used to sleeping next to someone, I did. Actually, it was probably the best night sleep I've had in months."

"You know, there are so many things I could say right now, but I'll be good," he chuckled at the opening she'd left him.

"I better get up. Do you mind coming with me to see how Dave's doing?" John sat up and stood next to the bed. "I don't want to leave you here alone." He looked back to see her hair splayed over the pillow. It took an amazing amount of will power not to climb back in with her.

"Sure," she said. "I want to check on him myself. I'm trying to be good and not be a pest in their infirmary, but he's technically my patient."

Remembering something that Ronon told him last night, he looked by the bathroom. "Ronon said a team went down last night after we were taken from the house to check for anyone else we may have missed. No one was there, but he packed up our clothes and brought them back with him. They're sitting there outside the bathroom."

"Awesome," she said. "You can get ready first. I'll change while you're in there."

He nodded, closing the door and quickly showering and changing. By the time he got out, she was up and ready. Before heading out, she ducked into the bathroom to find another travel toothbrush they typically stocked in there and quickly washed her face as well.

"Dave's going to have a lot of questions this morning," Jennifer reminded him as she towel dried her face. "Have you thought about how you're going to explain things to him?"

John shook his head. "Caldwell told me I could tell him as much as I want. To be honest, that surprised me. I thought he'd just limit it to a need to know basis, but when I told him you'd said Dave took a knife for you... that changed things."

Grinning, Jennifer followed him out the door. "Steve's a softy when it comes to me. Don't tell him I told you, but he's deathly afraid of needles. He panics... doesn't say anything, but sweats like nothing else and starts hyperventilating. So I go easy on him when I treat him."

"Unbelievable," John laughed as they made their way to the infirmary.

* * *

"Colonel Mitchell, come in," a voice sounded in his ear. Realizing he'd slept with his communicator on, Cameron jolted awake.

"Yeah," he rasped. "Mitchell here." Cameron had to take a second to figure out where he was. When he felt movement along side his body, Cameron remembered. Carolyn had fallen asleep next to him and was practically glued against his side. Not that he minded, but it was difficult to concentrate on the conversation.

"Colonel, this is Caldwell. Glad you both made it back okay," Caldwell said in a hurry. "Wanted to give you the heads up. General Landry is headed down your way. ETA about one minute."

His eyes widened. Swearing, Cameron jumped out of bed. "Carolyn, wake up," he hissed, shaking her shoulder. "Your father's coming down."

"Hmmm?" she sighed. "What's going on?"

Cameron had stripped down to his boxers and t-shirt before they climbed into bed the night before. Grabbing a pair of BDU's, he threw them on. Groaning, he remembered she'd only worn a tank top and shorts. Digging into the bag, he pulled out a pair of scrubs Sam had given her. "Hurry, get dressed. He's going to be at the door any second."

Amused, she was fully up now and watching him frantically run around the room dressing himself. With his hair sticking up in all directions, in a full blown panic, Carolyn swallowed her laughter and obeyed. Pulling on the scrubs, she stood up and sat down at the table to tie on her shoes.

"Cam, relax," she snickered. "Why are you so nervous?"

"Nervous? Why am I nervous?" he furiously worked at buttoning his shirt. "Oh, I don't know. Maybe it's because I don't want to be caught in bed with you by your father, whom also happens to be my immediate superior, thank you very much." Cameron, now fully dressed, took a moment to laugh at himself. "And stop laughing at me. It's not funny."

A knock signaled the General had arrived. Motioning for Carolyn to stay seated at the table, he looked one last time around the room. Satisfied that nothing was out of the ordinary, he verified it was Landry before opening the door.

When she saw her father, Carolyn stood. Even after having a long talk about her struggle rebuilding a relationship with him, she still felt awkward in his presence.

"Carolyn," Landry sighed. Not hesitating, he hurried over to her and grabbed her into a hug. "God, you scared me." The General held on to her for another moment before pulling away. "Sorry, I know you're not big on hugging your old man, but indulge me. Are you okay?"

She nodded. For a moment, she found herself almost protesting when he'd ended the embrace. It felt good to be in her father's arms once again. "Cam got there in time. When I left, they'd told me one of them was going to get Dr. Keller. Is she okay?"

Landry nodded. "They're in the room next door. Sheppard and the Doctor arrived back a few hours before you."

Cameron stepped forward. "Sir, how are they? I left before I heard anything from Sheppard other than the warehouse location."

"Fine, Mitchell. They're fine. Visiting his brother, actually, in the infirmary." When Cameron started to ask, Landry held up his hand. "Dave Sheppard is recovering. It seems bravery runs in the Sheppard family. He stepped in front of a knife for Dr. Keller while Sheppard was interrogating the first intruder. Infirmary doctors say he'll make a full recovery."

Landry released Carolyn's arms finally. "You scared me, little girl. Don't do that again."

Carolyn rolled her eyes, a habit from the past, but softened the gesture with a smile. "Not planning on it, Dad."

Both Cameron and Landry realized that she hadn't referred to him as "General" as she typically did. Pursing his lips, Landry looked visibly touched. "Good to hear. Well, that fellow Ronon Dex should be here about now." Seeing the larger man outside the doorway, he nodded and turned to his daughter. "Caldwell needs to see you and Dr. Keller."

"Sir, why—" Cameron started, only to be interrupted.

"Ronon, escort Dr. Lam directly to Colonel Caldwell. He's expecting her," Landry said, pointedly ignoring Cameron's question.

Carolyn looked confused, sending a glance at Cameron before stepping out the door. Once they were out of sight, Landry turned to Mitchell.

"First," he said calmly. "I want to thank you for saving my daughter. I knew I could count on you."

"General," Cameron said. "No thanks necessary. Now, I wish you would've let me go with—"

Landry took a step toward him, sending Cameron backing up into the wall. "Now," he said with a voice tinged with steel. "Don't think I didn't noticed when I came in here that there were two beds and only one of them unmade. The father part of me wants to beat the tar out of you, Mitchell."

"Sir," Cameron said, coughing from the impact of Landry's anger. "Nothing happened. She was upset. We talked. Fell asleep. End of story."

"End of story, huh?" Landry growled. "You're telling me that you're no longer interested in my daughter? On a personal level? That I'll never see the two of you together outside the infirmary?" When Cameron didn't comment, the General sighed. He backed away and began to pace in the small room.

"Okay, listen," Cameron said, straightening his shirt. "My feelings for Carolyn are real. And if that makes you unhappy, sir, I'm not sure what to tell you. But I'll tell you this." He paused, making sure he had Landry's attention. "I love your daughter. And I'll do my absolute best to make her happy and take care of her."

Landry didn't expect such an emotional declaration from him. Defeated, he sat down. "Son, I know. It's just hard to see another man in her life. Especially when I... her father... have barely played a role in her life. Can't deny it makes me a little jealous. And a little worried about her starting a relationship with you."

Confused, Cameron looked at the General with a blank expression. "Sir, you know I'd never hurt her."

"It's not that, Cameron," Landry said. "Think about it. It's taken her this long to finally actually want to have some sort of relationship with me. She was hurt by my absence growing up." He shook his head. "So it's a little odd that she'd consider being with a man who is also military. And while she may understand more about the job now that she works at the SGC, it doesn't mean Carolyn won't have that same lingering stress she had as a little girl. When I was gone, she saw what her mother went through with wondering where I was and if I was alive. I can't help to not want that for her all over again with you. I just don't want to see her hurt all over again."

Feeling like he was in the clear now, Cameron sat down across from him. "You want the truth?" He waited until Landry nodded. "She talked a lot about that last night. After we got back, she was a wreck. I've never seen her like that. And it came down to this... she has a lot of built up guilt and disappointment concerning your relationship from her childhood. We talked, compared experiences on how life as a military brat is. I think you both need to give yourselves a break and start over. She wants her father back in her life... it's just going to take her time to figure out how to do that."

"And as for the other part," Cam stood up, "Carolyn's an adult now. She realizes the risks of my job and I'm aware that hers holds some as well. We'll deal with it, just like any other couple in our situation."

Landry joined him at the door. "Well, for what it's worth, Cam," he said, sending a pointed look at the younger man, "You have my blessing. For now. Just be careful with her."

"I will, sir."


	9. Chapter 9

John sat next to his brother in the recovery room. He'd only been awake for thirty minutes, but already a nurse had propped him up in the bed and had brought him a breakfast tray.

"Well," Dave began, "Colonel Caldwell came and brought me some paperwork this morning. Forms about confidentiality. I didn't even ask if I could have my lawyers look them over."

"Yeah," John said, sitting back. Now that his brother had woke up, he was feeling more at ease. "No chance of that happening. So..." he stalled, "you want the Reader's Digest version or the full blown background and such."

Dave just continued to look around the infirmary. "I'd like to hear the entire story, but some other time. For right now, I'd rather just ask you questions."

"Sounds fair," John agreed. "What do you want to know?"

"Where are we?" Dave asked immediately. "You said we're not in a hospital. I might have been out of it, but not enough to not notice we were instantly... I think you called it 'beamed'... to this place."

John looked around the room. He'd been on the ship, especially in the infirmary enough, to know his way around. "Well, once you get unhooked from these gadgets, I can show you personally where we are. But for now... what would you say if I told you we're several hundred miles above Earth on a deep-space battlecruiser called the _Daedalus?"_

Stunned, Dave didn't blink for a few seconds. "You're serious?"

Nodding, John leaned back, finding he was enjoying that Dave would finally know what kept him away so much. "Yeah. Sounds unreal, but it's the truth. No joke."

His brother seemed to be digesting the information well. "Is this where you work?"

"No," John replied. "But this ship has the capability of bringing us to and from where Jen and I are stationed. Granted, it takes a month to get there."

"Get where?"

John sighed. "Atlantis. Home sweet home, well... for the past few years, it's been like a home to me." He enjoyed the fact that Dave was hanging on every word. This was the first time John had been given permission to fill someone in on the classified information. And the fact that he was able to give the information to his brother was an added bonus. "Remember studying a little about the lost city of Atlantis back in grade school?"

Dave nodded, obviously listening intently to what John was saying.

"Well, a few people we work with in Colorado found it, believe it or not."

"Found Atlantis?" Dave asked, leaning forward. "Where is it?"

"That's the part you're going to have a hard time believing," John admitted. "Dave, it's actually in another galaxy."

Again, his brother sat in stunned silence. After a few moments, he seemed to gather his wits. "You mean to tell me that you don't work on Earth? That you actually work in a fictional lost city far, far, away?"

"Well, when you put it like that, it sounds like you're about to call the men in white coats to come and carry me away," John grinned. "But, yes. And actually, Atlantis used to be located on Earth. In Antarctica, actually, but then they had to move the city to Pegasus."

"Move the city?"

"Yeah," John explained, knowing the story was becoming even more unbelievable. "Turns out, the city can fly. It's equipped with intergalactic hyperdrive engines."

Overwhelmed, Dave just shut his eyes. "Okay, the ship hovering over Earth was a tough sell, but not too bad. But a flying city?"

Jennifer, overhearing the conversation, came into the area laughing. "How's John doing with filling in our job occupations?"

"Not so good," John admitted, intertwining her hand into his. He pulled her over closer, wanting desperately to yank her down onto his lap and kiss her. It was as if the floodgates had been opened and there was no turning back. Reluctantly, he released her before he did exactly what was on his mind.

Jennifer met his eyes, as if she could hear the thoughts running in his mind. She blushed, glancing away and pretended to check Dave's medical chart.

Momentarily distracted by the lap top in her hand, he sent her a questioning look.

"Oh, right," she said. "Sorry, I almost forgot. Remember the video footage Rodney had one of the computer geeks put together to document the expedition?"

"Yeah, I gave a few interviews for them," John remembered. "You have that all on here?" he asked, pointing at the laptop.

She opened up the lap top and set it on the edge of the bed. "Yup. It's on loan from one of Landry's people. They use it for training purposes for new recruits on board while they make the journey to Atlantis. I thought Dave might appreciate hearing some of the background details about the Stargate program and then see the footage of the city."

"What's the Stargate program?" Dave interrupted, eager to hear more.

John glanced over at Jennifer. "Mind taking over? You explain things much better than I do. So far, I think my brother plans on having me institutionalized when we get back."

She snorted. "Just for that? Dave, I could tell you more stories to add to your case."

Not caring any longer who saw them, this time John didn't resist yanking her down to his lap. "Let's see how brave you are now, Dr. Keller," he murmured into her ear.

He was happy she didn't try to push away from him. Quite the opposite, actually. The moment he put his arms loosely around her to steady her balance, Jennifer sank back against his chest.

"Well," she said, "there goes my reputation out the door. Dave, you know your brother has quite the history to not following orders. It's pretty shocking that a well-behaved person like myself would allow a man like that into her life."

For the first time that morning, Dave's face broke into a soft smile. "Actually, that's about the most believable thing I've heard... and seen... pretty much since I got here. You guys make sense together."

Jennifer, still leaning against him, turned her head and smiled up at John. "That's what I've been trying to tell him. Maybe he'll start believing it." Since the infirmary began to fill up with more personnel, she felt the need to slide off his lap and into a chair. As she began explaining the Stargate program from the beginning, Jennifer felt John slide his hand over and grasp her hand.

* * *

Jennifer had already taken a seat when Carolyn arrived in Caldwell's office. She'd been on her way with John to grab breakfast, when Caldwell had intercepted Jen and asked to meet with her. For the past several minutes, she'd asked him several times what they needed to go over, but each time he insisted on waiting for Dr. Lam.

Jen stood when the other doctor moved into the room and walked around to greet her.

"Carolyn," Jen said, glad to see she'd arrived safely. Jennifer knew the woman wasn't the hugging type, so instead she gently touched her arm. "I was worried about you."

Surprising both Caldwell and Jennifer, Carolyn smiled warmly and hugged Jennifer. "I know. The men holding me told me they were on their way to bring you back as well, but I guess Colonel Sheppard had other plans."

Pulling back to look at her, Jennifer grinned. "Yup, you could say that. And I hear Colonel Mitchell wasn't about to let you stay there one more minute either."

Both shared a knowing look, then turned when they heard Caldwell give a subtle cough, reminding them both he was still in the room.

"Now that we have the greetings taken care of," Caldwell gruffly said, "I want you both to meet someone. Avery," he called in his ear piece, "you can come in now."

Carolyn stiffened when the man walked into the room. "Colonel, he was one of them... at the warehouse."

"Please, doctors, take a seat," Caldwell gestured. "This is Sgt. Jason Avery. Sergeant, you've met Dr. Lam and this is Dr. Jennifer Keller. Ladies, we don't have a lot of time to explain everything."

Avery nodded at the women. "I'm sorry, Dr. Lam," he confessed. "I've been working undercover for the IOA. We suspected a few men had taken the DNA and began trying to figure out which group was responsible. We'd narrowed it down to two, leaving two of us at the IOA working undercover. Last week, I discovered I was with the group we were seeking."

Still wary of the man, Carolyn sat next to Jennifer. "Then why didn't you make a move to get me out of there? You heard that one man. He was threatening to kill me once they got a hold of Dr. Keller."

"Believe me, if Colonel Mitchell hadn't been so quick, I'd have gotten you out within the hour myself," Avery explained. "As it was, I saw him take out the camera and made sure they'd send me to check it out. As far as informing the SGC of your location, I simply couldn't. We were all beamed in. And since I've been working undercover, the SGC didn't know to look for my transmitter."

Jennifer realized they were there for a reason. Noting that Caldwell had shut the door, she looked back at the Colonel. "Somehow I'm sensing you need our help with something."

Caldwell nodded. "It's a risky plan, but both General Landry and I are leaving it up to you, Dr. Keller. I'll admit, I'm not totally sold on this idea. But Avery will explain it to you."

"Right," the Sergeant leaned forward, clasping his hands together. "For several months, I've been climbing my way up the 'trust ladder' in this group. Dr. Lam," he looked at her. "I know you met one of the leaders while you were held there. His name was Thomas Viars. Well, the last part of the puzzle is to flesh out his partner, who was on his way but never made it before you left yesterday."

"I'm confused," Carolyn confessed. "He never mentioned a partner so how can I be of help?"

"Well," Avery said. "Actually, you can't. Other than provide us with some of the information you were working on. But Dr. Keller can. I talked it over with Colonel Caldwell and General Landry. Doctor, it's your choice whether you want to help us bring down this group."

Caldwell looked as if he wasn't happy with the plan. "Dr. Keller, what Sgt. Avery is suggesting is to make it look as if he was able to capture you and ultimately escape by forcing us to beam you down with him. He'll take you to a second location, which he'll obtain by contacting his superior in the group. Once you're down there, he's convinced us that it'll be only a matter of time... probably a few hours... for the two leaders to arrive at the destination. At that point, we'll lock in on his transmitter once he radios us and bring you back up here. Teams will move in from there, hopefully cornering everyone involved in this operation."

Jennifer just sent a knowing look to Caldwell. "You sound as if you're not convinced."

"No," he agreed. "I'm not. There's too much risk. And if I may add, you don't have the best luck, Keller."

"Yeah, yeah," she waved away his comment. Then growing serious, Jen thought for a moment. "Well, if that's the only plan anyone can come up with, it sounds like we might not have a choice. If we want to prevent these two men from leaking out the DNA, we might be running out of time."

"Hold on," Carolyn spoke up for the first time in minutes. "You're seriously considering going through with this?"

Jennifer shrugged, furrowing her brow in resignation. "Again, consider the consequences if the info is leaked. Especially into the wrong hands."

"Then I'm going with you," she said, standing up.

"No," Caldwell immediately shook his head. "There's no reason for both of you to go."

"Yes, there is," Carolyn shot back. "We might be able to figure out the leaders in all of this, but I'm the only one who's worked on the computers and research they'd compiled. There's bound to be more of a leak than you originally thought, and not all of them will be in the building. Some of them may even be on board this ship. We can't let people come into the SGC and continue to have access to our data. The minute you grab these guys, they'll have that information erased in seconds. They have a program, similar to the one we have back at the SGC. One command code sent from a computer or cell phone will permanently erase all data from the machines. I can bring a flash drive with me and download the information."

"How would I explain bringing both of you down?" Avery asked, clearly not sold on the idea. "It's going to be a hard sell to say I was able to overpower enough people to get Keller down there."

"We'll just say that Avery overheard us talking about how it was a good thing they didn't have both of us down there. It would've sped up the process," Carolyn reasoned. "It'll provide us with an excuse and then while one of us is pretending to work, the other can begin the download process in case the information is destroyed once your teams move in."

"You're forgetting something, Doctor," Caldwell interjected. "General Landry gave approval for the mission as long as Dr. Keller agreed. I have a hard time believing he'd still approve it knowing you're involved."

Carolyn moved to the door. "Colonel, let's just leave that information out. Tell him it was my idea and Keller agreed when he asks."

"Wait a second," Jennifer said, standing. "Colonels Mitchell and Sheppard haven't been briefed regarding this mission, have they?"

"Of course not, "Avery snorted. "Sheppard would never go for it. Which is why I convinced Landry to pull him into a meeting with Mitchell so I could talk to you first. The plan was for him to come in on the final planning, hoping you'd convince him to allow you to go."

"Then take my advice... skip that and just have Caldwell send us down," Jennifer said, moving to the door.

"I don't think so, Dr. Keller," Caldwell, suddenly standing and blocking her exit, eyed her. "I think we both know how Sheppard will react to that if I'm understanding everything correctly."

"Exactly," she replied, not commenting on his last remark. "Which is why we need to leave now. Otherwise this mission won't move forward. Look, you have the General's okay. That's all you should need."

Hesitating for a brief second, he turned to Avery. "Sergeant, I don't have to tell you that if anything, and I do mean _anything _goes wrong on this mission, you'll have two very irate Colonels who will hunt you down like a dog. Not to mention a father who has already had a scare with his daughter within the last twenty-four hours."

Avery didn't look worried. "The plan is fool proof, Colonel. Not a chance for anything to go wrong."

Jennifer, despite the nerves running though her body, had to laugh. "Famous last words."


	10. Chapter 10

_To all the McKay/Keller shippers: I'm sorry, but I tried my best to be kind. Just to warn you, there's a little mentioning of Rodney and Jennifer in this chapter. And please know that I do enjoy reading that ship, as some of you know. I probably will never write one myself, but I do like the way several FF writers have wrote their story together. :)_

_Thanks for the reviews/messages! There are about 3-4 more chapters.  
_

* * *

Landry glanced at his watch. Both Colonels were getting a little antsy as he drew out the impromptu meeting with the two men.

"Okay, that should be about enough time," he announced. "Caldwell is waiting with both doctors down the hall. Turns out the IOA had someone on the inside during this mess and he's come up with a plan to flesh the leaders out. Not a good one, in my opinion, but I gave him the okay knowing it'd never happen."

John, already irritated at their meeting, was glad for the opportunity to get out of the room and back to Jennifer's side. He knew she still wasn't safe. Not until this group was caught. Despite the military's quick response to the warehouse after Cameron successfully extracted Carolyn, little to nothing was left at the site.

"You mean to tell me the IOA failed to come up with a good plan?" John said as they exited the room. "Excuse me if I'm not shocked, sir."

Landry chuckled. Obviously more relaxed now that Carolyn was safely on board, he patted John's back and grudgingly did the same to Cameron's. "Okay, you both. Hear him out before you feel the urge to belt him one. I figured between the two of you and this man, you'll come up with some sort of compromise. Sheppard, you especially won't like this initial plan."

John just rolled his eyes. Then he started to think of why Landry had directed that comment in his direction. "Why am I not looking forward to meeting this guy?"

"You just want to get back to the infirmary," Cameron slyly said. "You know, I heard the darnedest thing this morning while I waited for you in the conference room. One of our guys had to go in for a follow up check on his shoulder." Thinking this would turn some attention on to Sheppard rather than himself in front of the General, he shared a smile with Landry. "He could've sworn he saw the CMO of Atlantis sitting comfortably on a man's lap at David Sheppard's bedside. Any clue who that might been?"

Meeting Cameron's eye, John's mouth twitched. Well, if the General didn't know he had a thing for Jennifer before, he certainly did now. "You still listening to rumors, Mitchell?"

"Yes, Colonel, I am."

_Two can play at this game,_ John thought. "Now that I think about it," John muttered low enough for Cameron to hear but not for Landry to pick up, "I've also been hearing a few things. For instance, someone mentioned to me that a certain Colonel spent the night alone in the room next to us with the General's daughter."

Mitchell's face lost all humor. Shrugging his hands into his pocket, he glanced to see if Landry had heard. Seeing the General several feet ahead of them as they approached Caldwell's door, Cameron nodded to John. "I think I'll be discouraging people from telling me any more gossip, Sheppard."

John just laughed.

* * *

The moment they were beamed down to the warehouse location, Jennifer felt her skin prickle. Immediately a man stepped forward and disabled both of their tracking devices. The three of them were shoved into a van and taken to another location. Every time Jennifer asked where they were going, someone told her to shut up.

When they arrived hours later at the second location, Jennifer knew they'd be met by several guards but didn't expect to recognize them.

"Shamoun?" she blurted out, eying the gun pointed in her direction from a man she'd treated at her short stay at the SGC before transferring to Atlantis. "Daniels?" She said even more loudly, discovering a second familiar face she'd also treated. "You're the ones leaking information to this group?"

"Silence," a man in a dark suit growled at her. "Dr. Keller, I'm glad you could finally join us. But Dr. Lam?" He began circling the women, not mistaking his shock and displeasure at seeing the doctor again. "You seemed to have found your way back. But why?"

Avery stepped forward. "Sir, I heard them talking. Long story short, Keller admitted that it'd take weeks to do what Lam had described she was assigned for her to do for us. Keller said we'd have been smarter to take them both."

"Huh," a second man approached them, also dressed in a business suit. "Well, that's lucky for us then that Avery was smart enough to grab you as well."

"Smart?" the first man repeated. "Not likely. You see, my friend, I have my doubts about our accomplice over here. Avery is good, but not so good that he'd be able to snatch both of them from under the noses of a General and three Colonels on board the _Daedalus_."

Thinking now, the second man nodded. "I agree. Hmmm... I wonder what we'd find if we did a quick scan of Mr. Avery?"

"A scan?" Avery scoffed, but was unable to hide the fear in his eyes. "Why? You think I have a tracking device? Do you think I'd be foolish enough to double cross two men like yourselves?"

"Yes," the men said in unison.

The initial man who disabled both Jennifer and Carolyn's tracking device stepped forward with another instrument in hand. Scanning, he nodded. "He's transmitting a signal." Grabbing the other device, he effectively disabled Avery's tracking device.

Jennifer clenched her hands to her sides. Looking over at Carolyn, she saw her brow furrow, as if she was attempting to think quickly.

"Now, doctors," one of the men approached them. "It looks like whatever plan Avery told you he had to safely return you is no longer probable. And with that said, how about I have one of our people escort you to the labs while I deal with another matter." The man turned his attention on Avery.

While the two women were led away, minutes later they heard a single shot. Jumping, Jennifer grasped Carolyn's arm as the guards forced them to follow.

"I don't think we're getting out of this mess," Carolyn softly said.

"And if we do," Jennifer said, "I have a feeling we'll still be dead even if someone does come for us after Cameron and John hear what we agreed to do."

* * *

"What do you mean, you sent them both down?" Landry exploded, rounding on Caldwell. "Are you nuts?"

Caldwell calmly stayed seated. "Gentlemen, let's have a seat and talk this out."

All three men refused. It was hard to tell which of them was the most angry.

"Dr. Keller is gone?" Sheppard bit out. "And Lam?"

"Yes," Caldwell said, sighing. "Against my better judgment, of course. But they insisted and knew you'd never go along with it, so they were beamed down with Agent Avery minutes ago." His voice hardened as he spoke directly to Landry. "Don't forget you agreed to his plan, General."

"What the Hell is going on?" Mitchell demanded, fuming after hearing that Carolyn was no longer safely aboard the ship. "Who is Avery? And why does that name sound familiar?"

Landry looked like he was about to send his fist flying through the wall. Yanking a chair back, he quickly sat down and glared at Caldwell. "You were out of line, Colonel. I didn't agree to all of this."

"And what exactly did you agree to?" John said, moving around so he could face both the General and Caldwell at the same time. "And why do I have a feeling you were perfectly okay in sending Dr. Keller somewhere but not Dr. Lam?"

Caldwell held up his hand. "Gentlemen, let's settle down and I'll get you caught up to speed. Landry knows most of it, which you might have already guessed, but there was a little twist in the plan. Dr. Lam insisted on going along with Keller." He motioned for both Colonels to sit down and refused to begin until they both were sitting across from him at the table.

After Caldwell was done explaining the initial plan as well as what had just occurred minutes ago, John slammed his fist on the table. "Unbelievable. Please, Colonel, tell me why you couldn't have called me down. I'm responsible for Dr. Keller and you failed to inform me of a plan that would directly involve putting her life at risk."

"You're as responsible as I am for her safety," Caldwell shot back. "Neither one of us has control over the medical department of the expedition, as you well know, Sheppard."

Landry sat back. "Blame me, Sheppard," he admitted. "I was the one who foolishly gave the okay thinking this plan would never be played out. I only did it to get the IOA to think we were willing to work with them and then hoped between the three of us, we'd come up with another plan. I should've told Caldwell that was my ulterior plan."

"Has anyone picked up their signal?" Cameron spoke for the first time. Unlike Sheppard, his anger didn't boil over the surface. Instead, any observer could recognize the rage held inside of him, waiting to be released.

"I'm sure we can," Caldwell said, leading them to the control room. "Avery assured us that even though Keller and Lam's devices would be instantly disabled, his would not."

John just swore. "The minute I meet this man, he's dead."

"Get in line," Cameron muttered back.

Landry noticed Caldwell's frown was more pronounced as he studied the device that was able to pick up tracking signals. "What's wrong?"

Caldwell looked up, resigned. "The tracking devices. None of them are getting picked up." He thought for a moment. "Let's send Ronon and a few guys down there. I have the location Avery gave to send them."

Ronon and two men came through the radio minutes later. "Sheppard," Ronon said, quickly confirming John's fears, "they're gone."

"Sir, it appears a plane took off just minutes ago," one of the Marines came through. "There was a hanger located on the premises."

"Alright, I'm sending you all back up here," Caldwell said.

Landry exploded. "Do you mean to tell me we have no way of knowing where they're located?"

Caldwell nodded. "Either they put up a blocking mechanism or..."

"Or someone figured out Avery wasn't on their side," Mitchell finished for the Colonel.

Letting out a frustrated growl, John pinned Caldwell with a look. "Get Rodney McKay here."

"Why? What can he do?" Caldwell shot back. "There's no way to track them now."

"Just do it," John glared at him. "I want McKay here. Now. And keep Ronon on board as well. We're going to need him."

"Impossible," Landry said, half listening to the conversation. "It was hard enough for us to get them to okay sending Ronon. And that's only because we knew we'd need him since we didn't know who to trust at the SGC."

John had never felt this angry or scared in his life. After man missions that almost ended his life and others, this didn't compare to any of them. The thought of Jennifer out there right now with no way of getting to her made his heart drop in his chest.

"Tell anyone who gives us trouble that if it's not done, then I'm done on Atlantis," John said loudly. "And as much as several people may welcome that opportunity, since I have a knack for disobeying orders and irritating the Hell out of the IOA, remind them that I'm the one with the strongest Ancient gene out of anyone on the expedition."

Landry nodded. Walking away to make the call, he turned back at Caldwell. "When McKay gets here, he has full reign of anything on this ship."

Caldwell didn't even flinch. "Understood."

* * *

Within two hours, Rodney McKay was on board the _Daedalus_. And he wasn't happy about it.

Not that he minded the interruption. McKay was about to embark on a mission with a group of geeky, annoying botanists who discovered a botanical garden on a planet. With Ronon and Sheppard gone, he'd been assigned to accompany them with Major Lorne.

No, he was more irritated to learn that Dr. Keller had gone and gotten herself lost.

"Sheppard," Rodney said in a clipped voice. "What the heck happened to Keller?"

John remembered Rodney talking to Teyla on their last mission about Jennifer. When he heard her name mentioned, he tuned into their conversation. Rodney, it turned out, admitted that he admired the young doctor. Not only was she a brain, but she was one of the only women besides Teyla who befriended him on the expedition.

He also clearly remembered hearing Teyla ask if he felt more than just friendship toward her. Rodney instantly denied any thoughts in that direction, saying he only felt as a friend toward her. After his disaster with Katie, he no longer wished to pursue a relationship with someone in the city.

"Rodney, that's why I needed you here," John said, grateful the man was there. "Let's grab Ronon and Mitchell and come up with a plan to get her and Dr. Lam back."


	11. Chapter 11

"Here's your pal," one of the guards tossed Avery into a corner. "He's not dead... yet. But the boss figured this way, he'll suffer more. And will persuade you both to work faster." With one last glance at both doctors, he narrowed his eyes. "Don't even think about wasting time to try and save his miserable life."

With a laugh, he turned and slammed the door tight behind him.

Jennifer tried to hide it, but as she passed off a stack of research papers to Carolyn, her hand trembled.

"Hey," Carolyn murmured quietly, "it's going to be okay. If Cameron found me once, he'll do it again."

Shaking her head, Jennifer quietly answered back. "He didn't find you- by himself, that is. The guy that broke into John's house had the warehouse address in his pocket. We got lucky." Cursing herself for revealing that information to Carolyn, she watched as the hope drained out of the other woman's eyes. "Besides, that's not why I'm upset. Even though Avery got us into this mess, I can't watch him die in front of us."

Carolyn nodded, showing Jennifer she was in agreement.

"Screw it," Jennifer said. "Keep working. I'm going over there."

Knowing full well the room had two video cameras monitoring their progress, Jennifer had a surge of anger rush through her body. It went against everything she stood for to watch a man suffer when she could help him. She rushed over, knowing she only had minutes until someone would come in and try to stop her.

The first thing she did was roll him over, examining the wound. "It's pretty bad," Jennifer called back over to Carolyn. "He's loosing too much blood, but the bullet went through. It was at a pretty close range. He doesn't have a lot of time."

Carolyn stopped working and looked around the lab. A few medical supply kits were lying in the corner of the room. After a quick inspection, she seemed satisfied it had the materials Jennifer would need. "Want to give it a try?"

Jennifer nodded. "I'll try to be quick. Someone's bound to see me out of camera range any minute and come in."

Sure enough, twenty minutes later as she was in the middle of stitching Avery's wound, two guards Jennifer had recognized before, burst through the doors. Seeing her in the corner of the room, they looked a little relieved. Then their anger kicked in.

"Keller's still here," Daniels barked over the radio. "She's trying to help Avery."

"Kill him, then, unless she stops," Jennifer and Carolyn heard another man call out over the radio. "I don't want either of them distracted."

Jennifer stood up, enraged. "Tell him that if he dies, we stop working."

Both men seemed a little shocked at her courage.

Shamoun stepped forward, gun raised. "How about ... if you stop working, I kill Dr. Lam?"

"You kill Dr. Lam, and I won't be done for days," Jennifer said, trying to cover her panic. She desperately hoped she wasn't making a mistake, but she caught the bluff in Shamoun's eyes. His hand had slightly shaken when he'd directed the gun at Carolyn.

Carolyn seemed to sense her thoughts. "Besides, we'll be dead anyways once we're done. So stop the threats and let her finish. She'll be done in a few minutes anyway." She looked away, as if she wasn't scared a bit at their threats.

The men glanced over at each other and shrugged. "You're really almost done?" one asked Jennifer.

"Yes," she replied quickly. "Just a few more stitches." Seeing that they were going to let her finish, she looked up at them. "Thank you. For letting me take care of him."

"What's his life to you?" Daniels asked, obviously wondering why she was saving the life of a man who had gotten them into this mess to begin with. "We know he brought you both here promising it wouldn't be for long. Our bosses found out he's IOA and probably planned this to get to them. Now thanks to him, your friends have no way of finding you."

Jennifer just shrugged. "What's his life to me? It's a life. No matter what a person has done... good or bad... they deserve help. Who am I to judge who gets the help and who doesn't?"

Not expecting her kindness, Shamoun stared at her.

She continued working. "If you were shot, I'd do the same for you." Now that she had his attention- and possibly a small piece of what little humanity he still had- Jennifer pressed on. "Back in Atlantis, I've learned to completely trust and depend on the people around me to survive. Even though I don't agree with your bosses- I'm sure you feel the same way about them. They'd watch your back or get you help if you ever needed it. Right?"

Both men averted their eyes.

"No?" Jennifer asked innocently, as she finished her final stitch. "Then let me ask you this... why are you working for them?"

Daniels put down his gun while the other still regarded her warily. "The money was better than anything we made for the military. We both have a wife and kids."

"Yeah?" Carolyn interjected, obviously not feeling sympathetic. "How do they feel about your line of work? Does you wife proudly kiss you when you get home? I'm sure the kiddos love to bring you to school to talk about what Daddy does for a living."

Reddening in the face, Daniels picked his gun back up. "Shut up. Yeah, my wife and kids may not know what I do, but at least there's food on the table and the bills are paid."

Jennifer tried to calm them. "No job is worth it. Your self-respect isn't worth all the money in the world. I'm sure your wives would rather see you work and make less than to do what you're doing."

Dejected, Shamoun nodded. "You may be right. But these guys... they wouldn't let us out even if we tried."

"Then help us," Carolyn said, looking up.

"Are you kidding?" Daniels asked. "This placed is locked down tight. You're not getting out of here anytime soon."

"Our friends will come," Jennifer said, still hoping for a miracle. "And when they do, help them."

"There's no way they'll find you," Shamoun said. "We don't even know where we are. We were brought in by a private plane. Your transmitters are gone. Face it, you don't have much of a chance of escape."

"Just help them when they come," Carolyn ignored them. "Trust us. They've worked bigger miracles. Besides, we have two irate Colonels on our hands." She gave a small grin toward Jennifer. "Never underestimate the power of an angry Air Force Colonel."

"Or a father," Jennifer added, leaning Avery gently against the wall.

The men each looked at them slowly. "Alright," Shamoun said. "We can't promise much, but if there's a chance of getting you out, we'll help." He looked at his partner, who nodded in agreement.

* * *

"Rodney—" John started, losing his patience. "We need that second location. Now."

Ignoring John's impatience, Rodney continued to work. Rodney knew not to push back at John right now. He'd seen something different in him the moment he'd boarded the _Daedalus_. Something had changed between him and Jennifer.

John was typically the calm one during times like this. Optimistic. Level-headed. But now, he seemed completely on edge.

"Alright," Rodney said, motioning for them to come over. "I wrote this program awhile back. It can pull up movements on a tracking device up to three hours in the past."

"But if all three were immediately taken out, how's that going to help?" Mitchell bit out.

Rodney glanced over at the Colonel. He, also, seemed a little unhinged at the moment. Understanding dawned finally... Carolyn Lam had been taken as well. And the last time he'd been to the SGC in the infirmary, Rodney remembered the young doctor sending occasional subtle glances over at Mitchell, who'd been treated for a nasty bug bite.

"I'm hoping they didn't discover this Avery fellow's device immediately," Rodney answered. Then his normal arrogance came through. "Colonel, you'll find many things that may be deemed impossible are quite possible when you put a little thought and faith in technology."

Mitchell just stared back at Rodney, clenched his hand, and walked away for a moment as Rodney entered the last few commands on the computer.

"You know, it'd go a lot faster if I'm not surrounded by male testosterone. Not to mention other emotions going on that I really don't want to know about," Rodney complained, trying to focus.

Cam, seeing that Rodney would work much quicker if not distracted, motioned for John to follow him. "I'm going to walk around for a few minutes. Go see your brother. Let him know what's going on and check up on him before we leave."

John agreed. "I'll be back in ten minutes. Ready to leave. Ronon's taking care of gathering together supplies."

* * *

John was never this nervous before a mission- even a rescue mission. He discovered that he was getting a good taste of what Cameron had gone through the day before when he set out to rescue Carolyn.

Once he reached the infirmary, John pulled the curtain to find his brother sleeping. He sighed and turned to leave.

"John?" Dave asked groggily. "Sorry. Must have dozed off."

John turned and stared down at his brother.

"I think that was the idea when Jen forced me to leave you a few hours ago," John said.

"Yeah, she said the blood loss would leave me a little off for a few days," Dave said, struggling to sit up. "Is she here?"

John frowned and shook his head.

Dave immediately picked up on something. "What's wrong? What happened?"

Turning away, John felt like punching the wall. "She's gone. Someone talked her into using herself as bait to bring down this group who got a hold of the stuff we told you about earlier."

Concerned at the worry in John's voice, Dave leaned forward. "She didn't tell you she was leaving, did she?"

"No," John spit out. "I'd have never let her go through with it. It was a bad plan."

"So why are you sitting here with me, then?" Dave said, now worried about the woman he'd grown to care about. "Why aren't you going after her?"

"Because," he answered tightly, "we don't know where she is. They transported her and another doctor immediately after they were beamed down. A friend of mine from Atlantis is here now trying to figure it out. He kicked Mitchell and I out so he could work faster."

"Ah," Dave said, now understanding. "And this Mitchell also has someone he cares about missing. This is the same man who rescued that doctor last night?"

"Yes," John confirmed, glancing at his watch. "Rodney has five more minutes of alone time left."

"Think he'll figure it out?" Dave asked.

"Yeah," John said confidently. "Rodney always figures is out. And my pal Ronon is here, too. Between the three of us and Mitchell, these people don't stand a chance."

* * *

"Rodney," John sad as he entered the room fifteen minutes later, "tell me you have the location."

Wearing a prideful expression, Rodney sent John a look of triumph. "Please, did you ever doubt me? Alright, here we go," Rodney said. "See, here's the first location. All three devices working..." they watched as two were eliminated. "And, as I said before, looks like Avery still had his when they left."

They watched the screen as the blinking light shone across the screen. "Where'd they go, Rodney?" John asked, not taking his eyes off the screen.

Rodney entered in several commands and the blinking light began to move quicker. "I'm able to fast-forward a bit." He frowned when the blinking light stopped. "Well, I can't be sure it was their final destination, but Avery's signal stops at this location." He wrote down coordinates. No sooner than he'd written the last one, Mitchell ripped it from the pad and began moving.

"Sheppard. Ronon. Come on," Cameron's face was unreadable, but John understood the anxiety that lay beneath the surface. "Caldwell, send us down."

"Hold on," Landry stopped them. "You're going down there with no plan? Colonels, let me remind you that my daughter is down there. One false move and her life is in jeopardy."

"He's right," John started to agree, despite his desire to leave immediately as well.

"Here's the plan," Ronon spoke up, pulling his gun over his shoulder. "We get in. Shoot anyone who gets in our way and get the doctors out."

Mitchell almost grinned. "Now that's my kind of plan," he said. "Let's not over complicate matters like Ronon said. I have a feeling we may be running out of time."

"Five minutes, Colonel," Landry refused to back down. "They've already been gone for hours."

His jaw set, Mitchell shook his head. "Did Carolyn tell you what they told her just before I got there, sir?"

"No."

"They were going to kill her," Cam revealed. As Landry's face lost color, he almost regretted the words as they left his mouth. "Sorry, but time _is _of the essence here. Now let's go get them."

Nodding, Landry stepped to the side, once again leaving the fate of his daughter's life into the hands of a man whom he knew loved her almost, if not as much as he did himself.


	12. Chapter 12

_Wow, sorry for the delay in posting these last few chapters. I was out of town and had the world's worst luck with hotel internet. This one took a long time to write and I'm not the best at writing action scenes. Please excuse any mistakes or awkwardness. I didn't have anyone look over it before posting in order to get this up today and only read through it twice. I probably missed some errors.  
_

_Thanks for those following the story! There are two chapters left after this and they're both ready, so no more delays in posting! Thanks for the comments- I've responded to all of them but may have missed a few when my internet wasn't working.  
_

* * *

"Rodney, pull up some shots of this place on the satellite image program," John muttered into his radio. "We're going to need you as our eyes."

Mitchell eyed the warehouse. This location had more security. Three guards were on the outside, each making rounds regularly. A fence surrounded the place, making it a little more difficult to get near the building without anyone noticing.

John wanted to throw caution into the wind and rush the building. But getting all the intel beforehand could help once they got inside.

A few seconds later, Rodney came through on the radio. "Got it. What do you need to know?"

"What's our best way in?" John asked, also eying the building. "We have men outside the north side, but no guards in the back. I'm assuming this is where they have them."

They waited for Rodney's response. Each man, all for different reasons, were itching to get moving. John and Cameron for the obvious reasons, but Ronon also shared their sentiments. He wanted just as much to get the women out.

"Sheppard, you're going to have to go in front," Rodney said. "I have no way of knowing if you can get to them from the back."

John sighed. "Of course this wouldn't be easy," he muttered under his breath. "Alright. How are you coming on breaking through their jamming device? Once we get in, we won't have a lot of time until they're on us. Beaming us all out would be helpful at that point."

"I'm on it," Rodney answered, annoyed. "It's still going to take some time."

"Either way, we're getting them out of there," Cameron said, obviously feeling desperate. "Rodney, everyone says you work best under pressure. Time is something we don't have."

Ronon knew Rodney would work better if he had the added sense of urgency. "These men have no reason to keep both of them alive, McKay," he growled into the radio, voicing the concern that all three were thinking.

"Enough of this waiting. We're going in," John said, not waiting for the other two to follow him. He didn't need to look. Both were a step behind him, each with a determined look on their face.

* * *

Jennifer and Carolyn jumped when they heard the shots. Avery, no longer losing blood but still slumped over in the corner, also became alert when he heard the sounds.

"Calvary's here," he muttered. "Not sure how good that is in my case."

Carolyn looked up at the cameras pointed in their direction. "Act as if everything is okay," she said. "Whoever is watching us may not know yet."

Nodding, Jennifer kept on working. "Everything's downloaded. It's in my right pocket." Not looking up, she kept listening for any indication that help was on the way. "Do you think Daniels and Shamoun will pull through?"

Avery, hearing their conversation, moaned. "Not likely, Doctor. They don't have much to gain by helping you both. They've been in it for the money from the start. If they're caught, they'll both be dishonorably discharged from the military."

"Great," Carolyn muttered. "I thought we sold him on that little guilt trip you gave them."

Jennifer shrugged. "It was worth a try. Besides, if John and Cam-"

She was interrupted by more yells and gun shots from the hallway. Jennifer pulled Carolyn down behind the lab tables. "Stay down. Avery, can you get over to us?"

There was no answer from the corner where Avery lay. He passed out again. Jennifer swore. Glancing once more at the door, she ducked and sprinted over to the corner.

"Keller!" Carolyn yelled. "You're nuts." Despite her words, Carolyn had followed her over and helped Jennifer drag the man back over to the safety of the tables. They set him down in the corner and Carolyn bent to check his wound dressings. "He's bleeding again."

"How bad?" Jen called out, eying the door. Whatever was happening, the gun shots were getting closer. Patching up the man may not be possible if help was around the corner. Avery stood a better chance if they were able to get out soon. However, Jennifer was worried that whoever was shooting outside may not be on their side.

"Bad," Carolyn said. "Throw the kit over. I can at least start repairing the damage."

Jennifer reached from behind the table and handed her the kit. "You may not have enough time, but I don't want him bleeding to death."

Avery chose that moment to wake up. "Can't die yet," he joked. "Your boyfriends will see to that if this bullet doesn't."

Despite the situation, Carolyn cracked a smile. "If it makes you feel better, Mitchell is not my boyfriend."

Groaning, Avery winced as she began stitching him up. "I've seen him with you at the SGC. And rumors were flying around the _Daedalus _this morning... The General layed into him pretty bad just before our meeting."

"What?" Carolyn paused, then shaking her head and continuing.

"A few guys heard from the doorway," Avery said, rambling out of pain. "He told the General he loved you. The guys said after a lot of screaming, on the General's part mostly, that Landry gave his blessing."

Keeping her eyes focused on stitching and not on Avery's words or the chaos happening in the hallway, Carolyn blinked her eyes. It surprised her to hear that, even second hand, how Cameron had stood up to her father. And to hear that he even said he loved her... she didn't know how to handle that.

Jennifer overheard some of the conversation and moved over to them. "Plenty of time to think about that later, Carolyn. In the meantime, we need to see if there's anything in this room to defend ourselves with in case whoever is out there isn't the help we've been hoping for."

Agreeing, Carolyn finished her stitching and covered Avery's wound again. "Other than throwing the glass jars up on the table, I'm not sure if we have anything that will help."

Wishing they had radio communication to see if it was really John and Cameron in the hallway, Jennifer didn't have a chance to finish her thought when the doors burst open.

* * *

Ronon led the way as the three of them got through the initial guards without too much trouble. They'd been able to stun about five guards and then tagged them each with a tracking device on the chance that Rodney was able to come through and beam them up. Caldwell and Landry insisted on apprehending as many rogue personal as possible during the rescue in order to break up the organization that had started this mess.

No one could guarantee that they'd be able to get the two leaders involved. But everyone agreed that the first order of business would be rescuing Jennifer and Carolyn.

Another guard came around the corner. Instead of shooting him, Ronon shoved him against the wall and held him from behind in a choke hold. "The doctors. Where are they?"

The man grunted, swearing at Ronon as the giant increased the pressure.

"I can't breathe," the man panted, and Ronon slightly took the pressure of his wind pipe. "Down the hall. To the left. There's a lab... two doors after the elevator."

"Good choice," Ronon grunted, then slammed him into the wall, knocking the man unconscious. Cameron walked over and placed another tag on him. But just as he moved to stand up, Cameron looked and saw they had three men trained with guns at them from behind.

John swore. While they'd been listening for a location on the women, the guards had snuck up on them.

"Drop your weapons," a man in the middle ordered. "Now. Or we order someone to kill one of the doctors."

The three of them immediately dropped their stunners and guns.

"Now look," John reasoned. "All we want is our people back. You took them. We're a forgiving group of people. Just hand them over and we'll be off on our way."

The same man who gave them the orders before laughed in his face. "That's not going to happen, Colonel Sheppard. Now, our current problem is that while we need the doctors still, I'm not exactly sure if we have use for two Colonels and an alien."

Just as Ronon was about to make a move, two men stepped up from behind the guards and quickly shot the three from their position. Once they did, they nodded at the Colonels and Ronon and motioned for them to pick up their weapons.

"Dr. Lam and Dr. Keller are this way," Daniels said, turning away from them.

Cameron looked up after picking up his gun, surprised to recognize the men. "Daniels? Shamoun?"

Shamoun didn't met Mitchell's eyes. "It's a long story, Colonel. And not one that we're proud of anymore. Just follow us and we'll bring you to them. They've set the auto destruct."

"How much time?" John closely followed them, also shocked to see two men he'd frequently seen on trips back to Earth at the SGC.

"Five minutes. Maybe a little less," Daniels replied.

They raced to the room where the doctors were held. Daniels quickly got off two shots to the guards at the door, but not before catching a bullet to the thigh. Gasping, he fell down, leaving Ronon to catch and drag him along with them into the room.

"Rodney, tell me you're able to pick up our signals," John yelled in to the radio. "There's no time to fight our way out. We have an auto destruct going off in less than four minutes."

"I'm almost there!" Rodney yelled back. "Just a few more lines of code."

They rushed into the room, shutting the doors behind them. Out of nowhere, more men with guns followed them. Bullets flew past them as they shut the doors.

"Barricade them," Cameron called out, motioning for John to help him cover the door with a few heavy tables. "We can buy a few minutes that way."

"John!" Jennifer called out from the corner of the room.

Once the tables were in place, John surveyed the room. No exit. Rushing to Jennifer, he grabbed her arms and just held her in front of him. "You're okay?"

She nodded. "I'm sorry. We didn't think—"

"No, you didn't," John bit off, then softening his words with a quick embrace. "It doesn't matter. We're going to get you out of here."

"They disabled our transmitter devices," Carolyn said, standing close beside Cameron.

"And they have a jamming device," added Avery, wincing at the glare from the two Colonels. "I know. If I survive from the blood leaking out of me, I may still end up dead. I know. Just find a way to get them out."

"We're all getting out," John announced, eying Avery's wound. It didn't look good for the man, despite how he felt toward him. "We know about the device. Rodney's almost got the jammer disabled. It's the only way out. We're blocked in. There's too many of them out there."

Jennifer glanced at the monitor. Swearing, she wrenched out of John's grasp and read the warning. "Auto destruct. Two minutes." She turned to John. "Did you know about this."

He nodded. "Rodney'll come through."

Carolyn's face went white.

Cameron impatiently paced. "McKay, come on. We have less than two minutes left."

"Got it!" McKay shouted. "I'm locking in on everyone in the room. Who are the extra three?"

"Lock in on them, too." John shouted as the doors burst open. Positioning himself in front of Jennifer, he saw Cameron do the same as they began to open fire.

Glass from the equipment both Doctors had been working with burst into pieces, sending pieces flying through the air at Carolyn. Cameron covered her with his body and pushed her down, pausing only for a moment before returning fire along with John.

There were too many of them. John yelled for Rodney to get them out now. One bullet hit John dead in the middle of his chest. Yelling out, he twisted and brought Jennifer down to the ground with him so that she wouldn't get hit.

"John!" she screamed. A light flashed and they were all transported out.

* * *

The commotion that followed once they hit the floor of the _Daedalus _was not something John would forget. He rolled on the ground, gasping for air from the impact the bullet had hit his chest. Jennifer was yelling for a medical team, ripping open his shirt only to discover the bullet proof body armor vest he wore underneath.

Exhaling, she sobbed out his name and collapsed onto his chest. Had she been in the right frame of mind, she would've noticed immediately that there was no blood. "Thank God," Jennifer said, tears pouring down her cheeks. "Why didn't you tell me you were wearing a vest?"

John winced at the weight she put on his body. "Ease up," he said. "It stops the bullet but still packs a punch when you take a shot."

Over her shoulder, John saw Landry run into the room in search for Carolyn. Seeing her alive and well, he closed his eyes. Shaking his head, John overheard him say she'd be the death of him yet.

Shamoun and Daniels, sitting in the corner, refused medical attention at first. When a nurse noticed Daniels had been shot, she ordered a gurney to his side. Caldwell came onto the scene afterward, his gaze narrowed on both of them. Shamoun willingly walked over and confessed their betrayal to the Colonel. Cameron, also overhearing the conversation, graciously added to their statement that both men were instrumental in getting both doctors out and it should be noted in their hearing.

John overheard that Rodney was able to lock in on all targets left in the building and beam them into a holding room on board. He was also able to stop the auto destruct and zero in on leftover life signs near the building. Luckily, the two men in charge were among the people they'd found. They'd been watching from a safe distance away from the building after initiating the auto destruct. Now in custody, it wouldn't take long for Caldwell and Landry to find out who else from the SGC had been leaking them information.

Avery was still hanging on. Cameron called over for a Doctor through the chaos surrounding them. A medical team wheeled him away immediately. Shamoun and Daniels, laying on a gurney, each were escorted out by Caldwell and Ronon, leaving the women alone for the first time with the Colonels.

"We," Cameron narrowed his gaze at Carolyn, "are going to have a long chat, Doctor."

Wincing at his tone, Carolyn sighed. "I didn't doubt that for a second."

John was still catching his breath. When Jennifer pulled him up to a sitting position, he locked gazes with her. "Same conversation. Just as soon as the room stops spinning."

And with that, he passed out.

* * *

John awoke an hour later in a bed in the infirmary. The first thing he saw was Jennifer leaning back in a chair, obviously sleeping, despite the noise in the normally quiet room.

Still a little disorientated, he grabbed the bed control and raised the bed so that he was in a sitting position. The noise woke Jennifer up and within seconds she was on her feet.

"Hey," she softly said. "Take it easy. You passed out. That bullet knocked the wind out of you and you must've been short on oxygen."

Wincing, he felt his chest. "Caught that," he said grumpily. "And I didn't pass out. I just needed to shut my eyes for a few minutes." Groaning at the two-piece blue cotton clothing someone had put on him, he tugged open the shirt and glanced down.

"Yeah, that's going to leave a mark," Jennifer smiled slightly, placing her hand over his. "John, I can't tell you how much you scared me."

"You?" John muttered, sitting up even straighter. Every even from the past several hours came rushing back to him. "You were scared? Imagine how I felt when I heard from Caldwell that you and Lam decided to go play super heroes off on your own with a flimsy plan made by that idiot Avery." Feeling guilty for a moment, he looked up. "Speaking of which, is he going to make it?"

Sighing, she sat down, accepting the oncoming lecture. "Yes. He lost a lot of blood, but he'll be okay. He already asked to see you and Mitchell... to personally apologize for talking us into this."

John sent one more leveling look at her. "New rules. First, you never, ever do anything that careless again. No matter what's at stake."

Jennifer cocked her eyebrow. Lifting her chin, she fired back. "I'm sorry, Colonel. Did you say I shouldn't do anything careless. Hmmm... let's list everything from your escapades back on Atlantis that could be classified as careless..."

"Mine don't count," he said, seething. "I'm trained for this stuff. It's my job."

Jennifer laughed, despite her annoyance. "Alright, any more rules I should know about?"

"Yes, as a matter of fact," he continued. "No leaving Atlantis without me. And Ronon."

"Both of you?" Jennifer grinned. "Wow, two required escorts if I leave the city?"

"Yes, and maybe we should add a few more. Lorne. McKay," he said sarcastically. "Maybe a couple other SGA teams. Or how about you just don't leave the city? Give my heart a rest for once."

"For once?"

John sighed. "Yes, for once. What, do you think I just recently started thinking about you differently? I was a wreck these last few missions you've been on."

She smiled. "Wow. I didn't know. And now I wish I would've known. Just think about all this time wasted..." She leaned onto the bed and lowered her mouth to his. Knowing full well she'd be able to sidetrack him, Jennifer intentionally deepened the kiss. When she heard his groan, she smiled in satisfaction. Teasing his lips, she murmured his name and trailed more soft kisses down his neck and onto his jaw line.

"Jen?" he asked, pulling back. He held her gaze and then pulled her mouth back to his. "Nice try. You're not getting out of this that easily."

"Oh, I'd have to say if you give me a few more minutes," she trailed her hands across his bare chest, "I may end up succeeding."

John was about to say something, but his next thought was interrupted by raised voices coming from the corner of the infirmary. His mouth twitched.

"Let me guess?" he said. "Cam's giving the same speech to Dr. Lam?"

Rolling her eyes, Jennifer nodded. "He got hit by a few broken pieces of glass back down there. She insisted on patching him up herself. Which gave him the perfect opportunity to lay into her about our little mishap."

"What in the name of God possessed you to go down there?" they overheard Cameron growl at her. Carolyn's raised voice matched his, as she began firing back her own opinion back at him.

A voice cleared outside the privacy curtain. Jennifer stood up and opened it, not exactly happy about the General's poor timing.

"Ah, the sounds of my daughter directing her anger toward another man," Landry said, walking up to John and Jennifer. "Can't say I won't miss it. And I hope that boy knows what he's getting in to."

More sounds as Cameron and Carolyn continued fighting came through the area. John winced as he heard her blast back at him for being unreasonable and overprotective.

"He's a good guy," John offered. "I'm sure he can handle it."

"Well, it looks like we've about wrapped up the mystery of who was involved in all of this," Landry said, placing his hands behind him and looking down at the both of them. "Despite the lack of planning for the mission, it actually worked out well in the end."

"See," Jennifer muttered, earning a glare from John.

The silence in between the lull in conversation made Landry raise his eyebrows. "Hmm... either she knocked him out with drugs or..."

John immediately caught on. "General, I wouldn't-"

It was too late. When Landry pulled the privacy curtain away, everyone in the infirmary saw Carolyn perched on the edge of the bed, wrapped in Cameron's arms, kissing him passionately on the mouth.

"Mitchell!" Landry growled.

The pair broke apart and Carolyn slide back onto the ground.

Carolyn grinned up at her father. "Sorry, dad."

Softening immediately at her words, Landry just sighed. Looking back at Cameron, he waved him on. "Never mind. She's all yours. Just keep her out of trouble for at least a day so that I can catch up on some sleep."

As soon as the General turned to walk out of the infirmary, Cameron nodded to nurse and grinned when she pulled the curtain back around them. Yanking Carolyn back onto the bed, he grinned at her. "I'm not through with you yet, Doctor."

Laughing, Carolyn lowered her lips back onto his own.

On the other side of the infirmary, John smiled after seeing the curtain to Mitchell's bed once again go into place. Feeling the urge to pull Jennifer up onto the bed with him as well, John heard the sounds of someone approaching. Dave, sitting in a wheel chair, came in, looking relieved to see John.

"You know, I'm starting to appreciate this not knowing stuff," Dave admitted, sending them both a relieved look. "At least when I don't know what you're up to, it's easier on my heart." He wheeled over and placed an hand on Jennifer's arm. "It's nice to see you safety back, Jennifer. My brother over here was worried. In fact, I doubt he'll be letting you out of his sight any time soon."

"Speaking of which," John said to Jen. "I think we've earned some vacation time in all of this. And I have a few ideas how we can spend it."


	13. Chapter 13

Jennifer deeply inhaled the air the minute they got topside.

"Thank God for fresh air," Jennifer gratefully said. "That was brutal."

"What?" Carolyn grinned, walking them over to her car. "Being inside the mountain for 24 hours after beaming down from the ship? Or listening to four overprotective men chew you out again for one little bad decision?"

Laughing, Jennifer sank into Carolyn's car. "It was a toss up. I was expecting the lectures from John and Cam. And for you- the General. But Ronon was a surprise. Even though he started smiling in the end, as if he knew everything was going in one ear and out the other."

They both laughed.

"Besides," Jennifer reasoned. "It turned out fine in the end, right? We got the group nailed. The two men in charge are in custody. So they should be happy, you'd think. And in a few hours, we get to go on Dave's private jet to spend a few days back at their family home. So... are we really going on errands, or did you just make that up?"

"Oh, we'll be doing errands, alright," Carolyn confirmed. "I called up my neighbor before lunch. She owns a salon a few miles away from my condo. Since it's a weekday, she was able to squeeze us both in."

Eyes lighting up, Jennifer grabbed Carolyn's arm. "Please. Don't tease. You mean a woman, trained at her job, will cut my hair? Do you know how long it's been since I had a real haircut?"

"Well, I didn't want to say anything, but yeah. I noticed," Carolyn laughed. "But the best part is that they do facials. And massages."

Jennifer groaned. "You, Dr. Lam, are my new best friend."

"Aww, thanks," Carolyn laughed.

"There wouldn't be a place I could find a killer dress for tonight, would there?" Jennifer asked. "I have the clothes Dave's coworker got for us earlier in the week, but there's nothing dressy enough for where we're going."

Grinning, Carolyn pulled out of Cheyenne Mountain. "Please. I'm so ahead of you. Just relax. I've taken care of everything."

* * *

"Where's Jennifer?" Rodney asked as he pulled up a chair in the SGC's mess hall. John, Ronon, and Mitchell were already half way finished with their lunch, all silent as they ate.

"Gone," John answered, mouth full of spaghetti. "Out with Dr. Lam. And still a little ticked off at us. Think we came on too strong?"

Mitchell shook his head. "Absolutely not. I think we finally got through to them never to do anything like that again."

"Jen was still a little peeved when she left," John admitted. "I had the distinct feeling it's been a long time since someone lectured her on what to do."

Mitchell nodded. "Both of them aren't used to it, seeing they've each been head of their own medical facilities and are used to calling the shots. But it had to be done. And now we shouldn't have to worry anymore."

Ronon looked up momentarily from his food with a wry smile. "You both are idiots."

"Why?" Both men asked, looking up from their places.

"You don't understand women," Ronon chewed, speaking between bites. "They will always have power over you. Don't think a few threats will change that for either of you. Both of them are stubborn and will do what they want."

The Colonels each just looked at him, surprised.

"Okay," Mitchell asked, setting down his fork, "then how do we get through to them, since you're the expert here?"

Laughter erupted from Ronon's chest. Now finished, he rose to throw away his empty tray. Turning before he left, Ronon smirked at both of them. "That's the thing. You don't get through. Which is why you'll have to guard them every time they step through the gate. And as tough as you thought you were on them back there, I could see through both of the Doc's. Sure, they were angry, but underneath, they were both laughing at you. Face it, " he offered as a parting shot. "They have you wrapped around their little fingers."

"Not a chance," John said, denying it. "Jen's not like that. She understood they messed up."

Ronon just shook his head. "Face it, Sheppard. To quote something from a movie you lent me, 'you're whipped.'"

Rodney, enjoying Ronon bashing John, also joined in. "Ronon may have a point, Sheppard. I've never seen you that scared before, and we've been in far worse situations than that. I think you are... whipped, as Ronon put it. It's going to be fun when you get back to Atlantis."

* * *

Completely relaxed and invigorated, Jennifer and Carolyn sailed out of the salon.

"That, my friend, was amazing," Jennifer sighed, opening the door to the car.

Carolyn agreed. "Three hours of blissful silence. And we look incredible, if I may say so myself."

They'd been washed, waxed and pampered. The Greek restaurant next door had kindly delivered them a salad when a worker overheard that they hadn't eaten lunch and suggested the take out menu. Before they left, each had a long soak in tubs the salon had in private rooms, their hair styled for dinner that night, their nails were done, as well as their makeup.

"Silence," Jennifer nodded. "Never thought I'd be grateful for it. But after hearing John go through his speech on personal safety and risk taking, it was welcoming to my ears. And my patience."

"Same here," Carolyn sighed. "So, now we're in phase two of Operation Payback."

"Operation Payback?" Jennifer asked. "And phase two means we've already accomplished phase one?"

"Yes, my dear," Carolyn said, pulling into a trendy store near the salon. "Phase one was getting us both killer haircuts, highlights, and the works. Now, we need dresses and a few pairs of incredible shoes."

"Ah," Jennifer said as she began to understand. "And won't it be fun to see the Colonels faces when we show up at the hanger?"

* * *

"We should've drove together," Cameron said as the three of them waited for the women at the hanger.

"Relax," Dave said. After spending the last 24 hours with John's coworker, he was becoming pretty good friends with the man. "They needed to do their girl thing."

"Girl thing?" John asked.

Dave just sent them both a look. "Let me guess. When we got to Cheyenne Mountain, which was incredible to tour, by the way... you each continued your rants to both of the ladies about scaring the daylights out of you yesterday."

John shrugged. "Well, yeah." Rolling his eyes, he looked at his brother. "What? Just say it. We've already gotten advice from Ronon. Why not add your two cents?"

Smug, Dave just leaned back on the car Cam had driven them in. His private jet, flown in hours ago was sitting a few yards away from them, ready to take them back to their family estate. John wanted to stay with Dave for a few more days and asked Jennifer to come along. And since Cameron was there when they made the plans, Dave invited him and Carolyn to tag along as well.

"They're ticked off at you both," Dave informed them. "So they're doing what any irritated female would do."

"What?" Cameron asked.

"They're getting even," Dave laughed, spotting a car in the distance. "Bet you my plane over there that those two girls walk out of that car looking like a million bucks. And I'll throw in a grand that both of you are drooling within five seconds."

Cameron just shook his head. "Carolyn said they had errands to run. Sounded boring. Besides, she's not like that," echoing John's statement from hours ago from their earlier conversation.

"Not a chance," Dave confidently said. "Those are two smart women you have there. They'll figure out how to play to you both."

John considered his brother's statement. "Since when did you become the expert when it comes to females?"

"Since I wasn't the one in another galaxy too busy to notice them," Dave grinned at his brother. "Don't worry, bro. I'm sure Jen will go easy on you."

John and Cameron, both mulling over what Dave said, each stepped forward as Carolyn's car came to a stop. When they stepped out, both swore under their breath.

"Holy good God," Cameron murmured at John. "Your brother was dead on."

"Yeah," John agreed, trying to get his brain to work. "No kidding."

The women looked stunning. Nothing could've prepared either of the Colonels for the sight before them.

Gone were the white capris and blue sleeveless top Jennifer left in. In its place, she wore a shimmering aqua blue dress with flowers splashed on the front, held up by two delicate spaghetti straps. The dress softly covered her delicate frame, ending mid-thigh. He gulped as he eyed her shoes- Silver, high-heeled sandals with a strap on each foot wrapped around her small ankles.

"You breathing okay, bro?" Dave walked up behind him, laughing softly as he watched John's reaction to Jennifer.

Carolyn looked equally as stunning. She had chosen to leave her hair down. The stylist had straightened it but angled the ends so that it fell over her shoulder like silk. She wore a snug, black dress that left one shoulder completely bare. As she turned and bent to grab her purse from the car, Cameron got an eyeful of her uncovered back.

"Must be irritating that big brother was right," Cameron said under his breath.

Now that his brain was beginning to function, John worked up a smile. He lowered his voice. "Oh, I think I have my own little payback waiting when we arrive for big brother."

* * *

John never fidgeted. Well, sometimes he grew restless when he had to sit too long. But this was different. And it had everything to do with Jennifer- and the dress she wore- sitting across from him on the plane.

And if he was completely honest... it wasn't just the dress. It was the shoes, too. Those strappy devices that begged for his attention. And of course she had her toe nails painted a hot pink just to torment him even more than he already was.

Then there was the scent that she wore. It begged for him to inch closer to her to see exactly the specific spots it was radiated off of her body.

Finally, he also itched to touch her hair. Whatever they did to fill the day, it certainly wasn't to run any boring errands. No, Dave was right. They spent the day plotting how to drive both him and Cam completely nuts. He eyed the soft curls that ran down her back and framed her face. Several strands were randomly pinned up on her head, taunting him to get up the nerve to run his hands through them.

_Yeah_, John thought. His older brother was right. The ladies had set off today to make Cam and John beg for mercy. _Well, so far it was working. But he wasn't about to let her know that. _She'd scared him. And he wasn't about to apologize for setting her straight.

"So," John began trying to act as if she wasn't affecting him. "I take it you and Carolyn had a good afternoon." _Play it cool, _he thought. _You already half-ruined that when you practically drooled over her as she walked in front of you to get onto the plane. _

"We sure did," she said, struggling with the seat belt on the plane. "Shoot, I can't get this. Mind giving me a hand?"

John gritted his teeth together. "Sure. Not a problem." He easily slid the device over her silky dress, accidentally brushing his hands across her arms as the belt clicked into place.

"Thanks," Jennifer smiled at him, sitting back in her seat like she didn't have a care in the world. "How long until we get there?" She slowly crossed one leg over the other, noting that the dress had risen up a few more inches on her leg.

His mind went blank again. "Huh?" John asked, obviously distracted.

"I said," Jennifer chuckled, "how long until we arrive?"

"Oh," John shook his head, looking away from her. "About two hours." _Two hours of pure torture, _he thought.

Jennifer glanced over at him, fully aware of the effect she was having on John. Now that they'd taken off, she easily unbuckled the seat belt. "Mind if I sit next to you and borrow your shoulder? I have a hard time sleeping on planes."

Closing his eyes, he nodded, as if that would keep out any image or thought of her. She sat down next to him, snuggling up against him. He felt her lean over and place her head onto his arm. Her scent invaded him.

It only took thirty seconds for him to grit down and man up.

"Alright," John huffed. "Enough of this. You want to hear it? Fine. You win. I'm sorry."

"Sorry?" Jennifer straightened up, looking at him innocently. "Sorry about what?"

John narrowed his eyes at her. "What? You want me to beg? Okay, I'm sorry about yelling at you. For flipping out on the ship. And back at the SGC. So stop the femme fatale routine before I go out of my mind."

Trying not to grin, Jennifer just blinked. "Oh. Okay. You're forgiven." Unable to hide the smile anymore, she leaned back into her seat. "As long as you learned your lesson."

"Yeah," John exhaled. "Learned. Committed to memory. Never again. And where did you get that dress?"

"At a shop today with Carolyn. After our visit to the spa. Do you like it?"

He just sighed. "Yeah. You could say that."

Jennifer grinned, glancing over at Carolyn, who was sitting next to Cameron down the aisle. Cameron didn't take as long to wear down as John. If Jennifer was reading the scene correctly, it looked like the man was back pedaling pretty quickly.

Dave seemed oblivious to the drama unfolding around him. He was fast asleep in the front of the plane. Jennifer warned him he'd need more time to recover. His body still needed to heal from the surgery and blood loss. It was one of the reasons she'd agreed to accompany them to Dave's home. She felt the need to take responsibility for his recovery. Now that Cameron and Carolyn were joining them, she realized that the trip would be several days of well-deserved time off for all of them.

* * *

_Next chapter up in few hours... just need to finish editing it!_


	14. Chapter 14

_Okay, folks. This is the last chapter! Thanks for following this story and for the feedback. I had a lot of fun with it! And a special thanks to Bailey1ak for editing it for me! _

_I have a few more stories started right now for those of you who like reading Cam/Keller and Lorne/Keller. They'll probably be up in a few months. June and July will be busy for us so I'm taking a break from writing.  
_

_

* * *

_

When the plane landed, Dave jolted awake. He didn't remember much of the flight. He'd even fallen to sleep with his seat belt fastened. Glancing around, he noted with a smile that all was well with the other passengers on the plane. Jennifer was curled against his brother, hands wrapped around his arms. Cameron and Carolyn were both looking out the side of the plane, hands firmly clasped together

It felt good to be home, but the truth of the matter was that Dave was even more happy to be bringing home his brother. It would be the longest visit they'd have together in years.

He was still sore and slowly stood up, surveying outside the window as he waited for the others to begin exiting the plane. A limo stood outside, waiting to take them over to the house John and Dave had grown up in.

Dave overheard bits of a conversation John was having on his cell phone.

"... landed a few minutes ago. If you want to head over... really? Great. See you in a sec, then."

Not thinking much about the conversation, Dave descended the steps behind John.

"Dave, you doing okay there?" John called over his shoulder? "Not dizzy or anything?"

"No," Dave assured him. "I'm actually feeling almost back to normal."

"Hmm..." John said. "That's too bad. I called someone in to watch over you while we're here."

"Who?"

Dave didn't have to wait for an answer. The limo door opened and Kylie emerged from inside. His eyes quickly took in the sight before him. John had obviously called to invite her to the restaurant as well. She wore a strapless dark blue dress, which hugged her frame and fell just short of her knees. He watched her anxiously look for him, then pinned him with her gaze. She was momentarily distracted when John walked up and casually took both hands and kissed her on the cheek. He backed up and made the introductions. She seemed anxious to talk to Dave, but warmly greeted each of them.

While the others climbed into the limo, John walked over with Kylie to Dave.

"Dave," she looked over at him, unable to stop herself from grabbing his hand. "John said you were okay, but that there'd been an accident. And you had to have surgery."

"It was nothing," Dave shook his head, a little rattled from not only the sight of her but also at her closeness. "John didn't have to call you."

Rolling his eyes, John stepped in. "I called Kylie and told her to clear your schedule for the weekend and the rest of next week."

"John, that's hardly necessa-"

"Sorry, bro," John grinned. "Doctors orders. And don't let him fool you, Kylie. He scared the heck out of me. He's still not 100%. Dave lost a ton of blood." Watching Kylie pale a little, John knew then that his hunch had paid off. It seemed his old friend still had some serious feelings for Dave. "Anyway, Kylie agreed to stay with us and brought a few things that needed your attention from work."

They walked over to the limo and John gestured for Kylie to go in first.

"That," John murmured to Dave, "and now you're not the fifth wheel tonight at the restaurant. And don't worry. I called and changed our reservation number."

Dave couldn't help but smile. "Smooth, John. Very smooth. And I'm guessing this is a little payback from all the comments I made about letting Jennifer know your feelings for her?"

"Somewhat," John admitted. "That, and I'd like to see you happy."

* * *

Dave had made reservations at a trendy restaurant he knew the girls would enjoy. It'd been a long time since he'd frequented a place like this. The establishment offered high quality food, a romantic ambiance, as well as a live band and dance floor.

Kylie sat next to Dave, not saying very much. It wasn't like her. In the limo, she'd immediately hit it off with both Jennifer and Carolyn. The ladies had chatted nearly the entire way to the restaurant. But now, sitting beside him and next to John, she seemed to be preoccupied with something.

He couldn't keep his eyes off her, which Dave knew was no secret to John. More than once, his brother sent an amused glance his way. Dave couldn't get over how incredible she looked, not used to seeing her outside the office where she typically wore conservative suits.

"Are you sure you're feeling okay?" Kylie leaned over to him. "You look a little tired."

He caught a little of her perfume. They hadn't spoken much to each other, so he took the opportunity to openly study her face.

"I'm fine," he answered. Wanting to prove to her that he wasn't going to pass out, he glanced at the dance floor. Standing up, he held out his hand to her. "Come with me. Please?"

Surprised, Kylie immediately stood, took his hand and followed him. When they got to the floor, there was no moment of awkwardness. She stepped into his arms as if they'd done this a thousand times. Once his arm was around her and the other held her hand, they danced silently for a few moments.

"We've never danced before, have we?" Dave stated. "I'd have remembered."

"No," Kyle said, looking up at him. "Why?"

"Because I wouldn't have let you go at the end of the song," Dave admitted, gauging her reaction.

Her eyes widened. "Dave?"

He laughed, pulling her closer. "Let's just say I got a reality check about a lot of things in my life in the last few days." He took in her scent, wishing they were anywhere else but a somewhat crowded restaurant in the middle of the dance floor. "Kylie? I think it's time to discuss other employment options for you."

Now confused, she pulled back. "You're firing me?"

"Yes," Dave confirmed, then shook his head. "No. Not exactly. More like fitting you into a different job."

"Why?" Kylie asked.

"So that I can do this." Dave gently released their hands, guided her free one to wrap around his waist while he placed his behind her neck. He smiled as their lips touched for the first time. As he'd expected, one kiss wasn't enough. Figuring people were looking in their direction anyway, he continued kissing her until they were both out of breath.

"Wow," Kylie breathed in once they came up for air. "Okay, who are you and what did you do to David Sheppard?"

Dave laughed, grabbing her hand once more and guiding her around the floor. "Why are you so surprised?"

"Because it's taken you years to clue in that I've had a crush on you since we were kids," Kylie said, flushing a bit.

"Yeah," Dave said. "I'm finding out that men, especially me, are clueless when it comes to women."

"Amen to that," she snickered.

* * *

Cameron took Dave's lead and whispered into Carolyn's ear. "Wanna dance?"

Just finishing her meal, she nodded. Cam leaned to tell John they'd be back, leaving John to wave as they walked across the room.

A little surprised when he didn't lead her onto the dance floor, Carolyn gripped his hand as he led her to a side door.

"Where are we going?" she asked.

"I thought a little fresh air... and privacy... would be nice," Cameron grinned wolfishly at her.

He pulled her into his arms and they began swaying to the muted sounds of the band playing from inside. Within a few moments, Carolyn sighed as he tugged her closer.

"You sure are brave when the General isn't around," Carolyn grinned, leaning back to look at him.

"You got that right," he answered back, hands rubbing up and down her back. "Speaking of which, we should probably talk about setting some ground rules for when we get back."

"Rules?" Carolyn laughed. "We're going to have rules?"

"Yes," Cameron said, unable to resist quieting her laugh with a kiss. He intended for it to be quick, but both of them got caught up into the moment.

Finally, Carolyn pulled away. "Alright, fly boy, you're not distracting me. So tell me about these rules you're insisting we set."

"Right," Cam said, trying to remember everything he'd thought about on the plane ride there. Trouble was that now that he had her in his arms, he couldn't focus. "Well, I thought it'd be best for both of us if we don't get caught kissing in the hallways by your father."

"So, maintain professionalism on the clock?" She cocked her head. "Sounds reasonable. But what if I want to do this?"

She angled her head so that her lips brushed across his neck, then grazed his ear.

"Yeah, that's going to need to be added to the list," Cam groaned.

Laughing, she pulled his head down and kissed him.

* * *

John motioned for the waiter to come over. He pulled out the wallet that he'd rarely used in the last few years.

"I'd like to pay the bill, please," he said, handing him a credit card, then turned to Jennifer. "Feel like taking a walk?"

"Sure," she responded distractedly. "John, you don't have to pay for all of us."

He pulled out a cell phone his brother had set up for him. "I know. But just let me. Now how do you work this thing?"

Rolling her eyes, she leaned over to try and help him.

"Hmmm..." John turned into her hair. "You smell incredible."

Swatting at his hand, she tucked her hair behind her ear. "Focus, Colonel," she reprimanded him. "How is that the two of us can use everything back home quite easily, but not this little contraption?"

John chuckled. "Tell me about it. Okay, Dave programmed his and Cam's cell numbers on here. Now, how do you send a text?"

The waiter chose that moment to return John's credit card. Amused, he looked down at the phone. "Sir, I have that model myself. Do you need help?"

Sighing, John handed it to the man. "I'd appreciate it. I need to send a text to the only two people in the address book."

Jennifer laughed when the waiter couldn't help but smile at John's frustration... and the fact he only had two people programmed into the phone.

"New phone, sir?" The waiter recovered smoothly.

"Yeah." John rolled his eyes. "Something like that."

The waiter handed the phone back to him. "Okay, type your message in and then I'll send it for you."

"Wouldn't it be easier to track them both down. I can see Dave from here and I'm sure Cam's around somewhere," Jennifer nudged him.

"This is quicker," John replied. "Well, it would be if I could type faster. They couldn't make these keys any smaller. Okay, I'm done."

Jennifer imagined this was the waiter's first encounter assisting a patron with a text message.

"All done, sir," he said, handing him back the phone. "You're all set with the bill. Enjoy your evening."

John signed the slip, adding a generous tip, and took Jennifer's hand. "That's definitely in my plan."

As they walked across the room to the exit, Jennifer eyed him. "What did you tell the others?"

"I told the guys to take the limo back to the house," John said, opening the door. "Dave keeps a driver on hand. I'll call him when we're ready to be picked up."

Jennifer looked at him, surprised. "Wow. Must be nice to be rich."

He laughed. "Yeah. It has its perks."

John led her down the stairs and down the walkway which led to the lake the restaurant overlooked. "Wait," he stopped her. Bending to take off her shoes, he set them off to the side of the walkway for later and scooped her up into his arms. "Can't have you sinking into the grass and tripping."

"No, definitely can't have that," she said, sighing in his arms. "You know, a girl could get used to this."

Unable to resist her lips any longer, John paused for a moment and kissed her. "Have I told you that you look stunning tonight?"

"Yes, but you can repeat yourself," she laughed. As a breeze picked up, she shivered slightly. John carried her the rest of the way and set her onto a bench and then draped his suit coat over her shoulders.

"Better?" he asked.

She nodded. "As long as I get a little body heat, too."

Obliging, he wrapped his arm around her and tucked her into his side. They both looked up as the clouds parted and revealed the moon. The light bounced off the lake, illuminating the night sky.

"Have I told you this has been the best date I've been on?" Jennifer asked.

John pressed his lips against her hair. "Even if we weren't alone for most of the night?"

"Yup," she responded. "Let's see... a private plane, limo ride, incredible restaurant, and now sitting in the most romantic place next to you... if I didn't know better, I'd think you were trying to impress me, Colonel."

"Is it working?" John asked.

"Working and then some," she laughed. "Now, all I need is the perfect kiss."

"Perfect kiss?" he teased. "Thanks for putting the pressure on, Dr. Keller."

Laughing, he pulled her sideways and gave her a kiss that stole her breath away.

* * *

The next morning, John got up early, knowing Dave would be in his study catching up on work. But when he looked into the room, he was surprised to not see his brother there.

"If that just doesn't beat it all," he murmured.

Figuring he'd have time after all, he located the safe his father had kept in the study and entered the combination. Once it was open, he pulled the tray with two boxes he knew were inside.

Closing it, John made his way into the kitchen and started the coffee. Normally, it wouldn't have been an easy task for him, but during his last visit he'd discovered any idiot could easily work the fancy machine Dave had bought. With one press of a button, the coffee pretty much made itself.

"Get in late last night?" Dave said from the doorway of the kitchen.

John turned. "A little. Still couldn't sleep in. I figure you'd be working by now."

"It can wait," Dave answered, surprising John. "I'm finding the urge to delegate a little more."

"Good idea," John murmured. "Something else may end up taking up some of your time, from the looks of it."

"And I have you to thank for that. Nice job asking her to stay with us," Dave grinned and grabbed a few mugs and set them onto the counter for the rest of their guests. Spotting the jewelry boxes, he raised an eyebrow. "Are those what I think they are?"

"Yeah," John said, motioning for Dave to sit. "I know Mom and Dad left them both to me. But I want you to have this one." Pushing the smaller of the two boxes his brother's way, he watched as his brother opened it.

"Mom's ring," Dave nodded. Inside, a gorgeous diamond ring winked back at the men.

"Nancy and I ended up not using it," John said. "And I thought maybe you may be needing it in the near future."

Sending his brother a look, Dave blinked. "Well, I'm not so sure about the 'near' part, but yes, I think I could. But what about you?"

"The only reason I'd need it is if Jen and I get to that point someday," John said. "And I'm not sure if either one of us is quite ready for that big of a decision. Especially with our jobs. To be quite honest, she's the only one I'd ever want to walk back down the aisle with."

"So keep it," Dave suggested. "Hold on to it for a few years."

"Nah," John shook his head. "It's not Jennifer. When I get her a ring, it'll be something different. Flashy diamonds in a fancy setting doesn't fit her."

Amused, Dave accepted the ring and placed it into his pocket. He caught the "'when" part of John's admission and wondered if his brother had even noticed it. "I see you got something else out of the safe."

John nodded. "Mom's necklace. The one Dad gave her when they were dating. Before he got rich."

"He saved for months for it," Dave remembered hearing the stories.

John opened the box and looked at the necklace. Inside, a delicate chain holding a small turquoise stone glittered inside. "Diamonds aren't for her. This is what I can see her wearing. It matches her eyes." Closing the box, he slipped it into his pocket.

Smiling at his brother, he nodded in agreement. "Look at us," Dave laughed. "Both sunk by two women."

"Gotta say, bro, didn't think it'd happen to you," John laughed, leaning on his elbows across from his brother. "Thought you'd be married to the job forever."

"Same for you," Dave shot back, laughing. "You're just if not more married to the job as me. I realize that now. And all this time, I thought you were in the middle of the fights oversees. God, John. It's still pretty incredible to believe, even after seeing a glimpse of it myself."

"Tell me about it," John said, sending a serious look at Dave. "We can send emails. Every few months through a transmission Rodney sends back. I'll write."

"I'll hold you to that," Dave challenged. "Now in the mean time, what are we going to do with the rest of the days you guys have left of your visit?"

"Funny," Kylie said, sailing into the room with Jennifer at her side. "Jennifer and I ran into each other on our way down to find you both. We were just thinking the same thing."

Jennifer walked around the table and dropped down into John's lap. Wrapping her arms around his neck, she grinned at him. "Kylie and I thought you both could start by making us breakfast."

"Yes," Kylie said, wrapping her arms around Dave from behind. "We were thinking waffles."

"With chocolate chips inside, of course," Jennifer added.

John and Dave both looked at each other and laughed.

"Demanding, aren't they?" John said, laughing when Jennifer swatted at his head. "Alright. Breakfast, it is."

The brothers worked together in the kitchen, putting together breakfast, while Jennifer and Kylie smiled at the two as they fumbled and laughed through the process of cooking.

"This is the John and Dave I remember," Kylie said in a low voice. "It's nice to see them back together like this."

Jennifer smiled. "John's going to miss him when we go back to work. But I have a feeling we'll be visiting more often."

"Good," Kylie said.

"Now, let's see if we can talk them into making us dinner as well," Jennifer whispered.

"Don't count on it," Kylie laughed. "If these waffles come out half decent, I'll be shocked."

"Yeah," Jen agreed. "Take out is sounding much better."

In the end, the kitchen became a sight to see. Flour, chocolate chips, and milk spilled over the counters. But the results weren't half bad. A short stack of uneven waffles, sprinkled with chocolate chips since both men had forgotten to add them to the batter, sat in the middle of the table. Satisfied with their work, they high-fived each other and sat down to eat just as Cam and Carolyn made an appearance, drawn to the kitchen by the smell of good food and laughter.


End file.
